When Worlds Collide
by MugiwaraMarimo
Summary: (AU) It was supposed to be a typical off season for Zoro and the rest of the racing team, but at the annual banquet things took a turn that Zoro wasn't expecting, starting with his boyfriend calling him and breaking up with him. It only gets worse when he gets stupid drunk...
1. Chapter 1

Zoro pulled into the parking lot of the Thousand Sunny and into one of the reserved spaces right by the front door to the show room. Okay, who was he kidding, his fucking name was spray painted across the spot thanks to Usopp. Jumping off his bike, he pulled off his helmet, setting it on the seat and unlocked one of the side compartments with the keys. The lid thumped lightly against the side of the bike as he pulled a brown paper bag from the interior and dropped the top once again. Picking up his helmet, after pocketing his keys, Zoro walked up the few feet of sidewalk, pulling open the large glass doors to the front of the shop's show room.

Motorcycles littered the open floor space in varieties of model and color, mostly the newer models of the last couple years, but to one far side, up on a raised platform where several older models that the shop had come to collect over the years. The last one being Zoro's old bike. A slick black and gold model that he had refused to upgrade or put the new computer integration system into. All you needed was a key to start her and that was just the way he liked it. Stupid new fangled computers where confusing. He hated them.

The overhead lights hummed slightly as his boots thunked across the tile flooring and he raised an eyebrow at the empty seat behind the front desk. It was the middle of the day, Nami should have been sitting there doing...something. Anything. Maybe she was in the bathroom. With a shrug, he pushed against a door and wandered outback to the garage, stepping around disassembled bikes and tool boxes as he made his way towards the couch in the far back corner, walled off on one side with a half wall for employees. Dropping down onto it, and kicking up a cloud of dust, he looked over to see Usopp, body slumped down against the cushions, head leaning back against the top. With one hand he picked a rubber band out of a small bag and pulling it back with the other, pointed it at the ceiling. "What are you doing here?"

_Snap!_

"Killing bugs." Usopp said with a shrug as the band hit the ceiling.

"Where's everyone?" Zoro pulled a box and a fork from his paper bag and leaned back, throwing his feet on the table and using his helmet as an armrest as he opened the small box. He gave a quick jerk of his head back towards the front of the garage and showroom of the building to get his point across to his friend on the dusty old couch with him.

"Is that Chinese? You get me any?" Usopp sat up, grabbing at the empty paper bag. "Oh, what the hell man?" Crumpling it up, he threw it at Zoro. It bounced off the green hair and Zoro didn't even pause as the crumpled paper landed back on the table.

"I never got a text." Zoro said mouth full of food.

Crossing his arms, Usopp sat back against the couch in a huff. "Kaya, Nami and Perona went out. I did text you." Digging his phone out of his pocket, the dark haired man swiped his thumb across the screen, pressed a button, swiped again and held up the phone for Zoro. "See?" Zoro waved him off with his fork in his hand.

"Wait." Zoro just about choked on his food as he swallowed, realization hitting him that no one was out front first off and second at what Usopp had said. Turning wide eyed to his friend, he swallowed, exaggerating it with a bob of his head. "You let your wife go out with Nami and Perona unsupervised?! What's wrong with you?!"

"Her idea." The sniper dropped his hand back to the couch. "So where's my Chinese?"

"Didn't get you any." Zoro grunted, shoving another forkful in his mouth, talking as he chewed. "Thought I just said that."

"I did text you if you had bothered to look at your phone, or hell, my phone as I just showed you." Grabbing another rubber band, Usopp turned slightly and aimed for a spider in the far corner of the garage. "How's that GPS in your helmet working?"

"I hate it. Always telling me what to do." Grumbling into his box, Zoro rolled his eyes, kicking his voice a little higher in a mocking mimic. "Zoro turn left. Zoro turn around." He sighed.

"I happen to like Caime. It's a nice program if I do say so myself." Usopp snickered, once again turning to his phone, swiping his thumb across it and pressing a button. Only half interested, Zoro watched the sniper work, flicking to page after page on his large screen. "I blue toothed it into your helmet from the system in your bike. Whenever you have your helmet on, the blue tooth automatically hooks up and comes on."

"I hadn't noticed." Zoro shoved another fork full of food into his mouth as he saw a screen with a list of names come up and Usopp quickly pressed and swiped his thumb across "Zoro" in the list. A new screen with a different list popped up. It looked like a list of locations Zoro had been other last few weeks, ever since Usopp had hooked that damned computer up to his motorcycle's computer system.

The rubber band shooter cleared his throat. "Caime."

A blue flutter lit up around the small employee area, centering around the half glass window and the small office beyond. A bubbly female voice spoke from all around the two from the numerous speakers littered about the work space. "Yes Usopp; how may I be of assistance this afternoon?"

"Tell me Caime," Usopp paused, turning to Zoro.

"I hate you so much right now." The gren haired man grumbled into his lunch.

"Should have brought me Chinese like I asked in my text." Sticking out his tongue, he cleared his throat again. "How many times has Zoro gotten lost since I installed your program into his motorcycle?"

There was a pause as the blue lights fluttered and the bubbly voice spoke again. "I have two files under the name _Zoro._ Please specify."

"Two?" Usopp turned to Zoro, who shrugged, stuffing more food into his mouth. "Uh...Shuusui."

"Zoro, file Shuusui. Zoro has gone off coarse fifty-three times in the last month."

"Really?" Shaking his head, he frowned at the other man, who again, just shrugged. "Thank you Caime. That will be all for now." The blue lights flicked off and Usopp leaned back into the couch once more, grabbing a rubber band and leaning back deeper into the cushions, pointing it straight up in the air towards the ceiling above them. "I equip your bike with the top of the line latest GPS and computer software and you still get lost." He grumbled, pulling the band back, moving his hand slightly towards Zoro. "What's the second bike?"

"Oi!" Zoro put his hand over his lunch. "Don't go killing bugs over my food." Shifting slightly, he leaned back and shoved a fork full of food in his mouth. With a groan, he let out a sigh. "Oh...that feels so good..."

"Feels?" Usopp let the band go over the back of his head and there was a snap out into the garage, the band and another spider hitting the floor in one of the empty repair bays behind them. "Don't you mean taste?"

"No, feel. My phone's vibrating in my front pocket. Feels really good." Zoro snickered.

"Oh my god!" Usopp sat forwards feet coming off the ground, just to stomp back onto the thin carpet.

"Wanna get it?" Zoro shifted slightly so his left hip was a little higher off the couch, turning slightly towards his friend. "I'm kinda busy eating."

"I'm not putting my hands in your pockets with your phone turning you on like that." Crossing his arms, the dark haired man spoke flatly.

"Wouldn't be the first time you had your hands in my pants."

"Zoro! That sounds so wrong!" Usopp jumped up, pointing down at his friend. "You know damn well that never happened!"

"Yuhuh!" Zoro shot back. "You have done my laundry before. You know I leave shit in my pockets all the time. Up..." he paused. "It stopped...damn."

"Now I know why you didn't get my texts." Shaking his head, he flopped back down onto the couch, picking up his phone and once again flipping through several screens to come to the file he had on Zoro. "Yeah, see, that was a phone call."

"How do you know?" Zoro leaned forwards, grabbed the crumpled bag, opening it back up and dropped his empty container back into the paper. Leaning back, he fished his phone out of his front pocket, wiping his hand on his shirt as he did so. He pressed the button on the side and the screen lit up, showing he had, in fact, missed a call. "Oh, yeah it was."

"It's all part of this Caime program I created." Usopp tilted his phone back and forth in his hand with a huge grin. "It's integrated into everything within the Thousand Sunny and the bikes. All of them. Well all the ones that are owned. The sales bikes don't have it." Usopp flicked his thumb across his nose. "I can go so far as to pull up unheard voice messages and read text messages."

Holding his phone sideways in both hands, Zoro lazily scrolled through the list of texts and missed calls he had for the day. "So...I should stop sexting Kaya then?"

"What?!" Usopp yelped, turning on his friend. He grabbed a rubber band and pulled it back, aiming at Zoro.

Hardly acknowledging him, Zoro waved him off. "I'm joking, jeez, calm down. Like I would ever do that to you." Zoro pressed a button with his finger as Usopp wordlessly dropped his arms and the rubber band. "Let me listen to this voice message." He was quiet a a moment as Usopp looked back to the ceiling, searching for more bugs. He was about to let his band go when Zoro jumped up off the couch, slamming both feet onto the floor. "Oh shit!"

"What?" Usopp flinched, his rubber band shooting off into the rafters no where near his mark. With a frown he turned towards Zoro who was scratching at the back of his neck, now shifting from one foot to the other, muttering "oh shit oh shit oh shit!" under his breath. "Oi! Zoro, what?!"

"That was Franky!" He turned, wide eyed to Usopp. "Crap! I need a different shirt!" Jumping over the back of the couch he ran off towards a staircase rear the door he came in earlier, bounding up the stairs two or three at a time, slamming the door at the top closed behind him.

Usopp waited quietly, sighing and rolling his eyes. There was no point in even bothering to chase the man as he ran frantically around the small apartment over the shop. He would be back in a moment or two. Instead he busied himself with returning his phone to his home screen and shooting a quick text to Kaya to see if she wanted Chinese for dinner that night. As he hit send and right on que, Zoro came stomping back down the stairs in a mad rush. "Usopp! Do I look okay? How's my shirt? My hair?!" Grabbing two handfuls of his hair, he pulled on it, spiking it in random directions.

"You own a collared shirt?" Usopp said flatly, looking at him upside down over the back of the couch.

Zoro grinned at this. "Franky bought it for me. Said I needed to look professional."

"Yes because the pair of baggy jeans full of holes and grease stains is so professional."

"Shit!" And Zoro dashed off again, scampering back up the stairs and tripping near the top. The sniper's phone pinged and he picked it up off the couch, smiling as he got an excited '_yes that would be great!'_ from Kaya. Breathing hard, Zoro came back as he was finishing his reply of '_what would you like?'_ "Better?!"

"Much." Usopp nodded. "And your hair is fine by the way. Color is all messed up though."

"Oh ha ha." Zoro rolled his eyes, grabbed his helmet and shot off for the door. "I'm so dead! I completely forgot about the meeting today!"

"Want me to set up a calendar through Caime for you?!" Usopp yelled after him, then waved a hand as the door to the front of the building slammed shut. "Never mind I will just do it anyways. Save us all the trouble in the end."

Zoro stuffed his helmet on roughly, jarring his earrings in the process and jumped back onto his bike, slamming his hand onto the flat control screen on the panel in the front of the small dash. It flickered to life as he turned the key and that stupid Caime program's bubbly voice echoed around his helmet. "Authorization accepted."

"Of course it's accepted dammit!" Zoro snapped, throwing the bike's kickstand up and pushing it back out of the space with his feet. "Water Seven Caime," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm so dead..." Still muttering, Zoro shifted gears on the motorcycle and turned into traffic, buzzing around cars easily and weaving through traffic towards the large office building known as Water Seven.

Owned by Franky's brother, Iceberg, Water Seven was the biggest sports supply store in the area! Known for it's sports apparel and sponsoring of multiple sports teams, Zoro's own racing team included, the giant business was a corner stone of the city. If you didn't work at Water Seven, most likely you worked in one of the smaller retail shops or for them in some way. Even Zoro technically worked for Iceberg.

Franky was most certainly going to kill him if he was late for this meeting! He has only talked about it all week long. The motorist knew it was coming too. Every year towards the end of the race season they had this meeting. Part of having Water Seven as a sponsor for the team and all. Time to update all of the posters and pictures of the team and their bikes in preparation for the coming season. A way to sell merchandise for the company as well. Everyone seemed to want to own something that had Zoro's name on it. Kinda got old fast, but it made money for the company and let Zoro keep doing what he liked doing: racing motorcycles.

With a sharp right into a large parking lot, Zoro once again parked the bike as close to the front door as he could and jumped off, grabbing the keys, hitting the kickstand and bounding towards the door as he pulled off his helmet. Tucking it under one arm, he pulled open the large glass doors, pausing to let a couple young women out into the parking lot. They giggled, shooting him sidelong glances as they whispered behind hands. He rolled his eyes, ever since his face had been plastered on that billboard thanks to Franky a couple years back, he couldn't go anywhere without this happening.

It hadn't always been like this though. A few years ago he had just been a mechanic for his sister, doing nothing more than making sure her bike was in top shape and ready to go for her races during the day and at night he would wander off, looking for any street races he could find. Most people would just snicker at first at him cause he had no name and his bike wasn't even the greatest looking thing, an old black and gold Yubashiri model that didn't even have the new fancy computer brain in it.

Get him behind that steering column though...oh ho, you better hang on!

Pushing through the second set of glass doors, Zoro looked off to his right to where his sister's bike stood in it's glass case. "What are you doing?! Get away from there!" His voice screeched through the open entryway as it reached a higher octave than normal and he ran over to where the short pink haired kid was now staring at him wide eyed, a pair of keys in his hands. Pushing him aside, Zoro placed his helmet on the black carpet inside the case and climbed up, inspecting the white bike. "Did you touch her?" He snarled, whipping his head around to face the kid. "I swear, if I find a single fingerprint on this bike that isn't mine..."

"Easy Roronoa," the voice came from somewhere off to Zoro's left as he leaned back out of the case in a satisfying attempt to scare the living fuck out of the kid standing there. "That's Coby, the new guy."

"New guy?" Zoro snapped his head to the man that walked up to them. Stepping down from the case, he rudely grabbed the keys from this Coby guy, grabbed his helmet, slammed the glass door shut to the case and locked it, stuffing the keys in his pocket. "No one touches that bike," he hissed at Coby again, narrowing his eyes and squaring his shoulders, jabbing a finger into the younger man's chest. "No one." Turning, he flung an arm out at Coby as he addressed the new comer. "Why does he even have keys to the case Paulie!?"

"I gave him mine so he could check the lock on it." Paulie held his hand out and Zoro grudgingly gave the keys back to the man. "We needed another person on security, so we hired him. Coby, this is Roronoa Zoro."

"N—nice to meet you sir. I didn't mean any harm. Was just doing as I was told." Coby took a step away from Zoro, finally able to speak after the initial shock of meeting the racer.

"Zoro!" Franky's voice echoed around the area and the three looked up to the floor above to see the large man waving to them, the blue star tattoos on his arms sticking out as he waved back and forth. "Get up here! Meetings about to start! And stop scaring the help!"

"But..." Zoro jerked an arm at the case with the bike. Franky frowned. He sighed, stepped away from the two men and headed towards the stairs. Shifting his helmet under his arm, Zoro jogged lightly up the stairs, gaining more looks as he went. Some where from fans, who were doing more whispering about him, others were from shocked on lookers at his sudden burst of outrage. No one understood though why he would even dream of doing such a thing. Grabbing the railing at the top, he used it to swing his weight around it and with a slight jump to his step, walked to catch up to Franky.

"Will you ever get over that? No one is going to hurt your bike." The larger man frowned again, crossing his arms. "You need to keep a professional state when you are here. You can't just go shooting off at the first sign of someone attempting to do their job."

"My job is to keep that bike safe." Zoro growled, glaring at Franky. "She told me to keep it safe." There was a slight whine to his voice as he heaved his shoulders, taking a deep breath.

"We know. That's why Iceberg put it in that case Bro." He shook his head. "You calm yet? I can't have you going in to meet Iceberg all riled up because of security." The two men rounded a corner and Zoro nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his clean, well cleaner jeans. These one didn't have holes in them at least okay? And that stain on his thigh was totally not grease...really. Actually Zoro thought it might have been part of lunch from last week...maybe. He shrugged, abandoning the thought and Franky raised an eyebrow at him as he lifted his sunglasses to his forehead with a thumb.

"Same deal, different year I assume?" Zoro asked as the two paused for the other man to open a door. With a nod, Franky stepped through the door into a large conference room. At the far end sat Iceberg messing with what looked like some type of tablet, his secretary sighing next to him as she rolled her eyes.

Ahah!" He yelled, holding up the tablet. "See, look! I named him Tyrannosaurus!"

"That's great sir." Typing something onto her laptop, the woman didn't even bother to look up at her boss as he turned the item, displaying some sort of game that let you take care of a virtual pet. A small white baby mouse sat in the middle of the screen surrounded by toys and things to chew on. "Your three o'clock is here."

"They are?" Iceberg looked up, setting the tablet down on the table. "Franky! Zoro! Right on time I see!"

"Icberg bro!" Franky walked down the long table to grasp his brother in a big bear hug as only Franky could do. Setting him back down, the large man flopped himself into one of the seats, Zoro sitting next to him, placing his helmet on the table off to the side. "So what's the plan for this year? Same deal? Take some new pics of the bikes, get Zoro and Perona in the new gear for next year? That sort of thing?"

"Weelll..." Iceberg went back to messing with the tablet for a minute, completely ignoring the two men. Zoro leaned on his arm, chin in his hand as the fingers of his left hand idly tapped against the table as he waited. This shit was so boring. He hated coming to this meeting, especially since Perona didn't have to be here, but if it make Franky happy, Zoro figured he could suffer through it. He was the front man of the team now anyways. People sought him out after...

After a couple of minutes though of listening to _'squeak squeak'_ on the tablet, Zoro dropped his arm onto the polished surface, his open hand making a loud smacking sound as he did so. Iceberg jumped and looked up as Zoro took a deep breath. "Well what..." Franky shot him a glare at the tone of Zoro's voice. Yeah, so what if he sounded annoyed? He had better things to do with his afternoon, like sleep. Yeah a nap would be great. "Sir." He gritted out and Franky rolled his eyes at him.

"Right, well, I have signed this year with the kick boxing branch of the MMA contract deal I made last year. And well, you see, some of the higher ups want to do combined photo shoots. They think that using the bikes with the kick boxers might boost their sales or something."

"Our bikes?" Zoro snorted. "Like our street bikes?"

"Dude's got a point bro, which bikes are we speaking of?" Franky scratched his hair at this comment. "I can't just let anyone onto the racing bikes ya know. These two would kill me if I just allowed anyone to get too close to those bikes."

"Some one mentioned using the Wado." Iceberg's secretary spoke without even looking up from the laptop. She pushed her glasses up on her nose again, but other than that, didn't bother to look away from whatever she was doing there.

"No way." Zoro spat out, slamming hands on the table and pushing up out of his chair.. "No one touches my bike!" Turning, he frowned at Franky. Iceberg seemed to ignore Zoro's outburst and instead returned to playing on his tablet, more faint squeaks coming from his general direction. "No one touches the Wado." His hands snapped into fists on the table and ground his teeth as he spoke.

"Calm down, keep your pants on." Franky grabbed him by his belt and pulled him back into his chair. Turning to his brother, Franky leaned his arm on the table. "You know how he is. I got the two racing bikes, I could probably pull some strings there to get those so we could use them, and I'm pretty sure I have a way to get the old Yubashiri lying around here. We could use that too. All the for sale models I have as well; plus the team's street bikes. Anything but the Wado. You don't know the headache I will have to deal with."

"Hey!" Zoro snapped.

"Well, fine, whatever." Iceberg waved a hand, flicking at his tablet screen. "You handle the details. I will have Kalifa send you the times that have been set."

"Sounds good Bro," Franky stood up, grabbing Zoro by the collar of his shirt and dragging him backwards out of his chair. The green-haired man yelped, barely scrambling to grab his helmet and keep his balance at he was hauled from the room. The second the door clicked closed behind him, Franky threw Zoro forwards, where he stumbled, but caught himself, wheeling around on his employer.

"What the hell?!"

"What was that?! All of it! Your entire visit here you've been nothing but an ass man."

"No one touches my sister's bike Franky." Zoro growled, lowering his voice, rumbling deep in his chest. He squared his shoulders, facing off with the older man, who despite Zoro's own size dwarfed him easily.

Rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, Franky sighed and stepped past him. "Come on, let's get outta here. We gotta figure out what bikes we are going to bring here."

"Not mine!" Zoro shot at Franky as the two rounded the corner back towards the stairs. "I don't want or need some jerk who doesn't know his way around expensive equipment messing with my bike." Zoro nodded sharply with a snort. "The racing bike for sure, that thing's got a temper, you know that. He's almost killed me! Imagine what he would do to someone who doesn't understand?"

"I don't know why you think your bikes have minds of their own... honestly Zoro." Franky shook his head, turning down the stairs. "You coming back to the shop?"

"Naw, not right away." Zoro shook his head, searching the bottom floor for any sign of those security guards near his bike in the case. "I wanna bring that bike home someday. Display her in the show room, maybe bring in my old Yubashiri or something." He shrugged.

"You really going to give up having that one at the shop so you can bring the Wado home?" Franky raised an eyebrow as he flicked his sunglasses back over his eyes.

Zoro paused at the display case, placing a hand on the cool glass. "I just think I will feel better if this bike is at our shop, not here." Dragging his hand across the case, leaving smeared fingerprints, Zoro followed Franky out to the parking lot where the tattooed man came to stand near Zoro's bike. "Glad to see you are getting used to this bike though."

"I'm still getting used to him. You forcing me to retire the Yubashiri though, still mad about that." Zoro shoved his helmet on his head, flicking open the visor and climbing onto the bike. Leaning back slightly, he crossed his arms. "Usopp installed that stupid Caime system too."

"I like Caime, it's a super program."

"Always tells me what to do!"

"That's because you get lost all the time. I'm honestly surprised you do so well during races...although, I guess it's not hard to turn left all the time." Franky jumped away from the kick Zoro tried with a laugh, turning towards his truck. "See you back at the shop man!" With a wave, he closed the door and started the vehicle, driving off.

"Hmph." Zoro flicked his visor down, placing his hand on the flat panel as he turned the key and started his bike. Caime's voice flooded his helmet, asking for command and he shrugged, telling her he just planned on driving around for a while, not really having a destination in mind. He did request some decent driving music from her and after a moment of silence, music flooded his ears instead of her annoying voice. Well he guessed Caime was a her...

Backing out of the spot, still getting an occasional look from passers by, he turned and entered traffic letting his mind wander as he did so. The more he thought on it, the more he wanted his sister's bike to be at the Thousand Sunny where he could keep a closer eye on her. Today had been a close call, who the hell would have known what he would have done to that poor kid had he touched the white racing bike.

Probably punched him. Zoro grinned, he hadn't gotten into a good fight lately, kinda wanted to. He wondered for a moment if he could get to the gym before it closed, but mentally shrugged it off and kept driving. Slowing for a stop light, Caime suddenly sounded over the music, causing him to jump and almost crash into the large box truck next to him. Her sweet bubbly voice grated on his nerves. "Update complete." And the music he was listening to began again like nothing was amiss.

"Update?!" He snapped. "Who the hell updated you? Why are you updating?"

"Usopp." Zoro swore the voice sounded smug, but that was impossible, right? "Calendar and phone blue tooth integration complete."

The light changed and Zoro followed the flow of traffic, thinking if he was anyone other than who he was, this would probably look really stupid, him arguing with a computer system inside his helmet. As it was, both his voice and the computer's sounded really loud inside the small space. "What'd Usopp do to my phone?"

As if on que, a ringing sounded in his helmet at the same time his pocket began to vibrate and he jerked the bike to the side in a startled jump. A car laid on the horn and Zoro's heart jumped into his throat. He was going to get killed and it wasn't even going to be his fault! Taking a deep breath and shooting a glare at the car as it drove past, still laying on the horn, he raised an eyebrow as the ringing sounded again. "Uh, hello?"

There was a click. "Zoro!" Usopp's voice was even louder in his ears than that of Caime's, but this time he managed to stay in his lane.

"Dammit you're loud!"

"Sorry," Usopp spoke again, a bit quieter this time. "You got the updates it must be."

"Yeah, almost ran into a truck cause this stupid program scared the shit outta me." He sighed, hanging a sharp right, putting on a burst of speed and cutting off a small truck. Street riding was so boring. Speed limits and all that stuff. "What do you want?"

"Just calling to make sure you got the updates okay." There was a shrill voice in the background that Zoro couldn't quite make out and the self proclaimed technical genius sighed. "Perona says hi."

"Tell that bitch to fuck off!" Zoro snapped. "Man I hate her. So annoying."

"Zoro says hi Perona." Usopp translated dully. "Well Kaya and I are off to pick up and have dinner. I will be around in the morning. See ya then. Bye."

"Bye." A second click and after a moment the music was back in his helmet and Zoro was pulling into a small parking lot of a large apartment building. Pulling into a space, he looked up the side of the tall building, scanning each floor slowly till his eyes fell on a set of windows about four floors up. Seeing the lights on, he grinned and dropped the kickstand, pulled his keys and climbed off the bike, pulling off his helmet as he did so.

The door man greeted him warmly with a nod and a hello as he held open the door for him. It still irked him somewhat, but over the last couple months, Zoro had grown used to it. It was the man just doing his job, it wasn't because of any other reason than that. He pulled his phone out as he walked towards the elevator, looking up a number as he waited for the doors to open. Thumb hovering over the name to call, he decided against it as the elevator pinged and the doors slid open.

Let this be a surprise then, he figured as he hit the button marked with a faded number four and the doors slid shut. Repocketing his phone, Zoro gave a half smirk, lip curling up in an almost feral grin. Dropping in on his unsuspecting boyfriend was always good fun. Part of him hoped tonight would be no different. At the same time though, he just wanted to unwind, relax and start his mindset switch from fucking around to racing. He needed to get his focus together.

The racer leaned back against the wall and enjoyed the short ride in silence, pushing his shoulders off the metal paneling when the door opened and hanging a left down the hall towards the door he needed. Wrapping his knuckles off the thin door, he heard movement and a second later it was thrown open, revealing a bare chested man roughly Zoro's own age, red tinted glasses perched high on his nose. "Zoro!" His face lit up as he stepped back to let the other man inside. "What brings you by tonight?"

"Can't just come see you Kamakiri?" Closing the door behind him, Zoro chuckled as the other man shook his head.

"Of course you can. You hungry? I was about to make something to eat. Don't you have some big race tomorrow?" Kamakiri turned and walked to the small kitchen, Zoro on his heels as he talked the entire time. Opening the freezer, he pulled out a frozen pizza, dropped it on the counter with a shrug and turned towards the cabinet to get a pan. "It's not much, but not all of us are millionaires like you."

"I'm no where close to being rich." Zoro frowned picking at the plastic of the packaging. "I don't know why you keep thinking I am. And the race is Sunday."

"How many motorcycles do you own?" The other man placed a tray on the counter with one hand as he turned to the oven, flicking a dial. Coming to stand near Zoro, he opened the pizza and placed it on the tray.

"Does that include the racing bike or just the street bikes?" Zoro said it before he caught himself, then face palmed at Kamakiri's frown. Reaching out, he grabbed the man by his pants and pulled him close, wrapping one arm around his waist. "I'm sorry. It's not all fun and games you know. I work my ass off most of the time."

Taking off the glasses with his free hand, Zoro set them on the counter next to their dinner, leaning in for a quick kiss. Kamakiri smiled against him, mumbling an _I know_ before kissing back. A moment passed and the oven beeped, causing the bare chested man to push away from Zoro and moving to place the frozen pizza in the oven. With a frown, Zoro instead turned towards the frig, grabbing two beers from it and opening one, setting it on the counter.

As he opened the second for himself, Kamakiri turned, picking up the open beer. "If the race isn't till Sunday, can you stay tonight?" He again closed the gap between the two of them, leaning against Zoro's chest and dropping his head against the broad shoulder. Wrapping his arm around the slim shoulders, Zoro simply grunted in response, taking a sip of his beer.

Yeah, spending the night would be just what he needed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_"__Neg-a-ti-ve. Neg-a-ti-ve. Neg-a-ti-ve."_

Zoro groaned, reaching for the bedside table, hand fumbling aimlessly till his fingers grappled around the edge of his phone. "I'm going to kill her!" Eyes narrowed and vision blurred, Zoro slid his finger across the alarm, shutting it off. "When the hell did she even get a hold of my phone?" Throwing it back onto the table, he rolled over in the dim room, already knowing that Kamakiri wasn't going to be there. He had gotten up a couple hours before and headed to work, leaning over a sleepy Zoro for a kiss and a _see you later_.

With a grunt, he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes and yawning, arms arcing out over his head and to the side. Zoro threw the covers aside, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and into the plush carpet, curling his toes into the fibers. Leaning forwards, he picked up his jeans, threading his legs into them before standing up and pulling them up, buttoning them easily. "Where the hell..." Turning, scratching at the back of his head, Zoro located his missing shirt and walked to grab that, stuffing his phone in his pocket.

He didn't stay long at his boyfriend's, writing him a little note in his scratchy handwriting, reminding him to watch the race. Locking the door behind him, Zoro wandered back down to the first floor, bade good morning to the doorman and found his bike right where he had left it the night before. Kicking a leg over and pulling on his helmet, Zoro sat on the bike dragging the keys from his pocket.

Caime's voice greeted him as he placed his hand on the panel, turning the key. "Thousand Sunny Caime." He said calmly, not that it wasn't one of the few places he knew how to get to. Not that he got lost either. Things...moved. He was a bit more relaxed today, spending a quiet beginning and not so quiet end to his night in the apartment building. Taking a deep breath, he sighed through his nose as he pulled into morning rush traffic, heading towards his own home. He needed a shower and to change out of this dress shirt.

Nami stood up as he walked through the front door, slamming her hands on the desk. Her loose bun of red hair bounced around her face as the sound of her hands hitting the wood rang around the open show room. He jumped, looking over to her with a raised eyebrow. "Where have you been?! We tried calling you all night."

"I know," he replied. "But I wasn't about to pick up my phone for you. I was with Kamakiri."

"That's so NOT cute!" Perona burst through the back door, running up to Zoro and wrapping her arms around his arm. "You had me worried!" Turning her face up to him, she pouted, her black eye-liner making her dark eyes seem gloomy and depressing.

"Ah, come on," Zoro turned his head away from her, trying not to fall for her act, pulling his arm away from her. "Oi!" He snapped, breaking free. "When the hell did you get a hold of my phone anyways?! Your stupid ring tone was on my alarm this morning."

"Usopp did that for me. Don't you like it?" She stuck out her lower lip, arms crossed at the wrists in front of her.

"Anyways," Nami said, slightly annoyed, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "Franky will be glad to know you are back. You have a lot do today to get ready for the race tomorrow."

"I know," Zoro moved towards the door, once again having to peel Penora off him as she wrapped herself around him. "I'm going to take a shower now. Perona!" Pushing her away, he threw open the door and ran up the stairs, slamming and locking the door to the apartment before the crazy pink haired girl could get in there.

"Morning bro," Franky's voice came to him from the small kitchen. "Enjoy your night?" His voice had a slight annoyed tone to it, but Zoro chose to ignore it.

"Heh," He gave a cocky grin, kicking off his boots and headed towards the voice. He had lived here with the other man ever since his sister had died and he had lost the house they had shared. It was his own stupidity, Zoro knew that now, but even so, he didn't think he would have been able to stay in the large house by himself. It reminded him of his sister too much and even when he had to drive past it, he held his breath, trying to keep the memories at bay. "I did actually."

"Why didn't you pick up your phone?" The large man turned, running a hand through his blue hair and sitting at the table in the center of the room. Picking up the glass of juice that had already been sitting there, Franky took a drink and set it back down lightly despite his large hands. "We went over the racing details last night. And you told me you were coming back. We were worried. Had to call Usopp out for him to find you."

"You had Usopp out after me?" Zoro frowned at this and crossed his arms. He didn't like it when Franky would drag the guy out of his house just because they couldn't find him. It wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself or anything. He said so to Franky, but the older man just shook his head.

"We had him use the Caime system. He and Kaya weren't here more than ten minutes, but man, you could have called or something."

"I'm almost twenty years old Franky! I'm pretty sure I'm an adult." Zoro slammed a fist on the table. Not at all throwing a slight tantrum at being treated like a teenager.

"Could have fooled me." Franky shot back at him with a raised a eyebrow. "Go take a shower. I can smell you from here. And hurry up, we have a suit fitting in a little bit."

"Suit fittings?" Zoro pulled off his shirt as he turned from Franky, headed towards the little bathroom. "What for?"

"The banquet! Dude, we do this every year! Are you sure you aren't blonde or something?! That green has got to be fake."

"It's not, wanna see?!" Zoro said as he closed the bathroom door, dropping the shirt on the floor and tugging at his pants button. Kicking those to the pile with the shirt and miscellaneous other clothes, he started the water in the shower and turned towards the mirror. Instantly he frowned, not only did he need to shave, okay he didn't _need_ to, but probably should, whenever he caught a glimpse of the long jagged scar across his chest, it instantly pissed him off.

With a growl, he stepped into the water, under the warm spray and leaned forwards, letting his head thunk against the cool wall of the shower, the warm water running down his neck and in between his shoulder blades. Zoro moved his arm up to run a hand through his hair and stood back up, grabbing at the cheap shampoo and squeezing some into his hand. Scrubbing at his hair with his knuckles, he tried to clear his mind of all the unwanted shit. He didn't need to be thinking about his sister and everything that had gone on after wards this close to a race.

Zoro needed to focus on the race at hand and winning the final race of the season. Well him or Perona. As long as one of the two of them won tomorrow's race it would be another flawless year for the Thousand Sunny Team and that was all that mattered.

There was a knock at the door, followed by the stomping of a booted foot. "Zoro! Come on! We need to go and try on all those cute suits!"

"Dammit Perona!" Zoro pulled the curtain aside with one hand, grabbing for a towel with the other. Eyes darting to the door, he breathed out in relief that it was still closed. Last thing he needed was that damned girl opening the bathroom door on him. "I have barely been in here for five minutes! I still have soap in my hair!"

"I'm not coming in!" Her high pitched voice came flooding through the door. "I just don't want to miss the chance to see all cute clothes we get to try on."

"Franky!" Zoro yelled, slamming the curtain closed again and he heard the girl squeak and Franky tug her down the hall. Throwing the towel over the top of the curtain rod, he heard the other man grumble as he slammed a door. Something about baby sitting a bunch of adults wasn't what he signed up for. Whatever. If he hadn't signed Perona in the first place, none of this would even be happening.

The cold water faucet spout squeaked when Zoro turned it off and he stepped out onto the little rug Franky insisted on having there, grabbing a new and dry towel. Scrubbing a hand through his hair, causing a spray of water to litter the room, he opened the door, turning deeper into the apartment towards the two bedrooms at the back of the place. He heard was sounded like a camera phone and turned to see Perona busily clicking away on her phone, with a huge grin on her face. "What the hell did you just do?!"

"Just letting our adoring fans see how cute you are!" She turned the phone towards Zoro and there on her screen was him, not ten seconds earlier, holding his towel at his hip, a nice and clear shot of his chest and stomach as he was turning his head down the hall. The long jagged scar fully visible from shoulder to hip. "You're scar's not cure though..." She pouted. "Should have taken it out first."

"You shouldn't even be taking pictures of me!" Zoro snapped as she pulled the phone away, tucking it only god knew where in that stupid outfit she wore. Talk about not cute, pink frills were so, what? A hundred years ago? "Where did you post it?"

"Where didn't I?" Perona raised her arms in a shrug and turned, laughing as she walked back into the apartment's living room. "Hurry up Zoro! I wanna pick out your suit so I know you look cute and match me!"

"What?! No way!" Slamming his door, Zoro paused and did the bolt on the door just to make sure she couldn't get in. Hell, she was the reason there was a bolt on the door. He had never needed it when it was just him and Franky, but as soon as the pink haired menace became part of the team and began to become friends with Nami, all hell broke loose and Zoro had woken up one morning to her cuddled up next to him with some creepy looking stuffed bear.

That day Zoro was sure he had had a heart attack.

The bolt lock had been on there by that afternoon and even now, after almost two years, he still couldn't sleep as soundly as he did at night for fear she would break in somehow. And everyone called him lazy for taking naps during the day...it was because he wasn't sleeping at night dammit!

Dropping the towel, Zoro fished out a pair of clean dark gray jeans from the dresser and white shirt from the laundry basket on the floor...he was pretty sure it was clean laundry. He made sure to have the shirt _on_ before he opened his door, and stepped back into the bathroom to grab his phone, hitting the button to see he had new notifications for several of the popular online media and social sites. He groaned and rolled his eyes. Dammit Perona. He wasn't some model she could show off to all her little ditzy girlfriends.

No one was in the apartment and so, grabbing his boots, he sat at the table enjoying the moment of quiet that was sure to end as soon as he opened the door. It was never quiet when he had to go somewhere with everyone. And Franky would demand it. There would be no 'Well I will take the bike and meet you there" today. He just hoped he could con the girls into riding in the back that way he could enjoy the tranquility of riding shot gun in the bucket seat of Franky's truck.

His boots thunked down the metal and wooden steps to the concrete workshop of the motorcycle dealership and still he didn't run into anyone. Nor did he find anyone out front at the desk. The front door sign had been switched to closed though, so that must have meant that everyone was already in the truck waiting for him. His phone beeped and he pulled it out, unlocking it in time to catch the scrolling words of a post from Nami across the top _"__...late because of Zoro..."_

Eyes narrowed, he wasn't late...yet, not really...well maybe a little, he pulled open the door and found Franky leaning against the open window from the driver's seat of his truck, it sitting in the middle of the parking lot, running. Nami rolled down the back window behind Franky and just frowned at him as he walked towards the vehicle, glad to see that Franky had in fact made the girls sit in the back.

No one spoke as he jumped into the front seat and Franky wordlessly hit the gas, rushing from the parking lot, and into the city. Perona leaned forwards at one point, poking him in the back of the head, snaking her phone through the side of the vehicle for him to see a text from one of her friends about how gorgeously sexy he was or some shit, making Zoro roll his eyes and push her back into the back of the large truck.

"Okay, you three," Franky said as he pulled into a parking spot, the door locks clinking locked again as he shut off the truck. "Can we behave in here? Please? Zoro I mean you."

"Me?!" The green haired man snapped, swinging his open jaw towards Franky. "What did I do? Tell Perona to leave me alone! I'm not her damned boyfriend like she thinks."

"I wish you were!" Her head appeared in between the seats as she grinned at Zoro with a laugh, then frowned instantly as if rethinking the comment. "No, on second thought I don't. You're cute, but not cute enough."

"That's that mean?!" Zoro snapped at her.

Franky groaned. "Can we just go?" Throwing open his door, he jumped out and slammed it behind him, stalking towards the building.

The other three climbed out and Nami punched Zoro in the shoulder, a glare that could kill spreading across her face. "This is all your fault Zoro. If you had just come home last night instead of..." she paused, as if looking for the words and Zoro grinned, baring his teeth, daring her to say whatever it was that was in her perverted little head. She tried to hide it, but the racer knew better. "You should have just come back." She said instead, crossing her arms and turning her nose to the air before opening the door and disappearing with Perona inside.

Both Zoro and Franky were done long before either of the girls had found their dresses, both men going for black suits with shirts that matched their hair. The owner of the rental place rolled his eyes at the smirks that crossed the two racers' faces, but took down the colors and their measurements, before turning his attention to Nami who had just appeared with a red strapless dress, claiming she wanted something in black in stead.

Even Nami had finished, which was a miracle all in it's self, before Perona decided on some frilly black and pink thing with a corset top and an overly large matching hat. Tucking it over his arm, the man told them he would have their items ready before the banquet in a week and would call Franky as soon as he was finished. With a wave of his hand, he saw them off and Zoro caught the relieved sigh as the door bell clinked behind them upon their exit.

He was jolted awake by Franky shaking his shoulder when they were back at the Sunny, and he fuzzily followed the large man back into the shop where he collapsed onto the couch and proceeded to go back to sleep. This time around it was Usopp who flopped onto the couch with him, shoving his feet aside so he could sit. "Oi," he said, pushing one of Zoro's booted feet to the floor. "You enjoy your night? Franky called me and dragged Kaya and I out here last night. We were about to go to bed."

"Sorry," Zoro sat up with a yawn. "That wasn't my intention. I was with—"

Usopp cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I know where you were, which is why I asked if you enjoyed your night. Anyways, you and I need to go over tomorrow's race one more time. That's what we did yesterday afternoon."

"What's so important that I don't already know?" Crossing his arms, he shot a glare over to his friend as Usopp shoved his racing helmet into his lap. "What's this for?"

"Put it on." Leaning back, Usopp pulled his laptop out of his bag, fingers flying across the keyboard, then scrolling across the touchscreen as Zoro begrudgingly put his helmet on. "Tell me what you see."

Zoro blinked a couple times as the dim blue light flickered in his helmet, signaling that the Caime system had come online. Off to the left, in the upper corner of his tinted visor was a small blank see through box, the only way Zoro knew it was there was because of the thin white line that appeared. In the bottom right corner were two lines, each reading "0" at the moment. Zoro jerked his head back, in an attempt to get away from the shit in his helmet before it dawned on him _it was in his helmet._ "What'd you do?"

"The short version," Usopp wrapped his knuckles against the side of Zoro's helmet, causing him to jump and turn to the techie. "Is that I linked Caime up with the racing details that come through my laptop. So once the race begins, a map will appear in the upper left corner of your helmet, marking the placements of all the racers in white, you in green and Perona in pink."

"Figures." Zoro rolled his eyes.

"And in the bottom right corner," Usopp continued on, ignoring the comments made as he typed something into his laptop. Inside the helmet, random numbers flickered in the bottom right corner of the screen. "The top number is the lap number, the bottom number is your speed."

"Is this even legal?"

"It gets better." Zoro watched as Usopp got up, grabbed his headset and plugged it into the laptop as he walked into the office, closing the door behind him. "This is the final piece." There was a laugh as Usopp's voice sounded in his helmet.

"What the hell?" Zoro jerked his head back again, ripping the helmet off. "This is why I don't do technology!"

"It's all completely legal." Usopp poked his head back out of the office. Zoro thrummed his fingers across the sleek green finish, humming in thought. "It's actually has been legal all season. Franky brought it to my attention after the first race, but we all know how you get. Perona's had it for a while now. But," he came back out of the room, closing his laptop, dropping the thick ear pieces around his neck. "After last night, we just said screw it and did it."

Slipping the helmet back on, Zoro took a deep breath and a second to actually look at the new shit displayed inside his helmet. It wasn't really all that distracting and if he focused on the table, this he used instead of focusing on the race track in front of him, cause, well, he was sitting in the shop after all, he really wasn't distracted by any of it. "It's okay, I guess," he mumbled as Usopp sat down with him on the couch again.

"I kept if really simple for you. I get you don't like this stuff, but some of it is for your benefit, like the calendar I updated into the system yesterday. Now we call all see each other's schedules and what not."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Zoro said quietly. "Sorry I snapped at you yesterday. You just caught me at a bad time, ya know, just avoiding death and all." Taking the helmet off again, he set it gently on the table in front of them and the two continued on in comfortable silence. Zoro closed his eyes, leaning back into the couch as Usopp sat next to him, pulling the laptop out again and typing away at something on his laptop. He was just about asleep again when Kaya's voice startled him and a plate appeared in his lap.

"Thanks," Usopp took the plate offered to him, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. She giggled and wandered off after Zoro took the offered plate and the two ate quietly.

"This is it." Usopp said finally, mouth half full of food. "This will mark another year down. How long have we been doing this?"

"I have been at this a lot longer than you." Zoro shot back, pointing a fork at him. "I did the mechanic work for my sister after all."

"That's not what I meant." Usopp was quiet another minute as he chewed the food he was eating, thinking about how he wanted to phrase what he was going to say next. "I meant us Zoro. How long have we been doing this?" He gestured between the two of them with an open hand. "Just sitting and eating and not really having a need to talk to one another."

"Then why are you ruining it with all your reminiscing? I don't know Usopp, a long time." Zoro was quiet a moment as he shoved another fork full of food into his mouth. "I am really glad though you weren't here when everything went down though." He mumbled into his plate.

Usopp turned to Zoro, a look of concern for his long time friend playing across his face. He had been over seas with Kaya when he had gotten that frantic phone call from Franky explaining Kuina's death and Zoro's extended hospital stay. Part of him could never forgive himself for not being here when the accident had happened, but he had been in the room the first time Zoro woke up and had heard the news of what had happened. He gave a small sad smile, grasping Zoro by the shoulder. "Finish you dinner and get some sleep. I will see you at the track tomorrow bright and early." Getting up, Usopp didn't even give Zoro time to answer him as he left to bring his plate upstairs to Franky.

* * *

"Zoro."

"Perona!" The green haired man hurriedly zipped up the front of his racing jumper, catching his chin as Perona pushed open the door to the changing room in the front of the trailer they used to haul the racing bikes and all their equipment in. Rubbing at his chin and checking for blood, he glared at the other racer as he sat to put his heavy boots on. "What?"

Her own boots, black and awkward against her form fitting bright pink jumper, clunked against the metal floor as she closed the small gap, handing him his phone. "This went off, said 'Kiri' on it. Figured it was important, so I brought it in."

Zoro numbly took the phone, surprise and shock coursing through him at the friendly gesture of the crazy girl. "Uh, thanks."

With a wave of her hand, she turned and clunked back towards the small door, leaving Zoro alone. A second later, Usopp poked his head in, telling him he needed to hurry up and finish getting ready. With a vague nod, Zoro lit up his phone and thumbed open the new text message he had waiting for him. It was indeed from Kamakiri, just as Perona had said. _Got your message, called out of town for work this week though. TiVo. See it next week. Don't spoil it!_

With a snort and a smile, Zoro dropped the phone on his pants and stood up, exiting the room and walking towards his racing bike. His green racing helmet set on the seat of the slick silver bike and he went to pick it up as he heard Franky yell something to Perona. Turning he watched the girl, who was surprisingly strong for her size, pause in hauling her black bike from the trailer, to let Franky lay down a small ramp. Shoving the helmet on, he flipped the visor and grabbed the handle bars of his bike and followed suit, the large tattooed team owner watching him carefully as he did so.

"This is it." Franky said, crossing his arms and glaring down at the two riders who now sat lazily on their bike seats. Zoro had pulled his helmet off again and had it resting in front of him, leaning on it carefully. Perona gave a yawn, flicking something off the patches of her jumper. "The new suits look good too."

"I don't like it." Zoro answered, rolling one shoulder. "It's too stiff."

"That green is so cute though!" Perona giggled, ignoring the glares from both Zoro and Franky. "It matches your hair."

"Shut up!"

"Guys, guys," Franky raised a hand as if to pat the air to calm the two down, rubbing at his temple. "Can we save the arguing for after the race? Please? I want this one to go just as well as the others. I know you two can cooperate, we see it every time we race. Can we do that today? Please?"

"Yes Franky," they both answered as Usopp popped up from behind Franky, large headphones up, but off one ear so he could hear what was going on.

"Okay, so I got everything and we are all ready to go!" The techie excitedly fist pumped the air with a small jump, but dropped back to the ground roughly, hand flying to the part of his headset that was over his ear. "They are going to do inspections soon guys, we gotta get the bikes up there."

The four walked quietly to their designated area of the pit area of the large oval track and waited for what seemed like forever for the inspection crew to come around and give the bikes the go ahead to race. "Lets see, lets see..." Usopp typed away on his laptop for a minute, then stopped and poked at the screen with a finger. "Today's starting line up...oh, well, that's good."

"What is it Usopp?" Zoro asked coolly, arms crossed as he watched some men walk a final lap around the track to make sure nothing was a miss.

The wanna be rubber band sniper cleared his throat. "Starting line up: Gekko "Shadow" Moriah, number 32; followed by his partner "Doctor" Hogback, 19. This is then followed by "Ghost Princess" Perona, number zero and her cranky partner Roronoa "Demon Hunter" Zoro, 3. Then there is..."

Zoro stopped listening after his and Perona's places in the line up, putting on his helmet. So they were near the front to start...this was good. A good way to start the final race of the season. All they would have to do would be to watch out for Hogback and Moriah and they could win this smooth and easy. With a grunt, he pushed his bike forwards towards the gate that would allow him onto the track, the normally bouncy Perona suddenly calm and quiet next to him as she moved with him.

Franky crossed his arms as he watched them go. At the same time, they each got onto their bikes and drove slowly out to their places on the track, coming to stop near the starting line and thanks to Usopp, Franky knew the two were conversing quietly. "It's nice to know that they can take this stuff seriously," he commented to no one in particular since Usopp was busy talking back to the racers, setting up any last moment details from his perch on top of a work bench. "This is where it all counts."

"They are starting!" Usopp yelled, picking up an energy drink from next to him and gulping it down while excitedly bouncing in his spot. "I have everything all lined up and ready to go. You guys okay?"

Franky heard two very bored replies of 'yes' come through the small speakers Usopp had hooked up to his laptop and with some excited tapping, he turned the thing around for Franky to see. "What's that?" the mechanic raised an eyebrow, pushing up his sunglasses. "It's the view of the race from the blimp! And these..." Usopp flicked that screen to the side with his finger, pulling up a second screen that was already split into three smaller sections. The top two had a very similar view of the backs of Hogback and Moriah and the third bottom one was a course map. "Are the small front cams in Zoro and Perona's bikes!" Usopp pointed to little screen in turn, pointing to a name. "See the top one is the Negative and the bottom one is the Kitetsu."

"I don't know how you do it Usopp," Franky shook his head. "Give me something to fix and I can, but you and that computer stuff is beyond me half the time."

A loud buzz cut off whatever Usopp was going to say and the thunderous roar of almost twenty motorcycle engines revving flooded everything, causing the air to shake and Usopp picked his computer up off his lap in some half-hearted fear it would bounce right off his legs. Franky watched happily as the bikes took off for the first long corner of the hour long race and disappeared for that one quiet moment as they approached the other side of the track.

After a few laps, Franky turned to Usopp, who was now leaning back against the wall that the work table was pushed against, and turned the corner of the laptop slightly so he could see what was going on through the cameras on the front of Perona and Zoro's bikes. From the looks of it, Perona was leading the two, but Franky knew that was mostly because of Zoro focusing his attention of keeping anyone else behind him. The camera of the Negative was empty, not a single bike was in the camera. Usopp nodded at the screen, confirming Franky's thoughts. "She just took over first. Zoro's pretty much neck and neck with Moriah right now and Hogback and some late entry guy named Mihawk are like, literally on his ass end."

Franky frowned. "Are they okay?"

"Let me ask...are you guys okay out there?"

Zoro jolted slightly as Usopp's voice came into his helmet. It had been fairly quiet in that aspect, him and Perona not talking all that much and taking the nonverbal hints the two were leaving each other through out the race. He grunted, daring to look over his shoulder to the two bikes fighting behind him. "Yeah," came his hesitant reply.

So far today the bikes had done as asked, pouring on the speed when the two wanted and backing off when asked. Zoro could sense though that something was off, whether it be with Kitetsu, the Negative or another driver, he couldn't tell. Perona's answer of 'uhuh' sounded in his ears and things fell silent for another corner.

Perona took the corner tight, leaning the bike down so her knee was just barely touching the pavement as she did so and Zoro fell in right behind her, keeping the bike to almost the same angle she was. Then he heard it. The rumble of a bike putting on speed and Moriah shot past him on the high side, thinking he could finally cut in front of him. And it worked for about five seconds. Zoro saw the slight wobble of the front tire as they came out of the turn and watched as the handle bars twisted in the other driver's grip.

Zoro saw the bike fall. Felt himself twist the steering column to the side, laying the Kitetsu on it's side in an attempt to lessen the impact and slow himself down. Hogback shot past him and with an explosion of smoke and fire met the other bike head on. Thick black smoke rolled out from everything at once as long dark orange flames reached towards the sky. The ringing in Zoro's ears from the explosion dulled him slightly.

Usopp's voice sounded in Zoro's ears, flooded the helmet, but the seasoned rider had no idea what was being said to him as he slid dangerously fast to the flames that licked at the mess of bike and rider before him. Time seemed to slow down for a moment as he felt the bike under him finally begin to slow.

Zoro knew it wouldn't be in time though.

"Oh shit." It was the only thing that came to mind as time ran to catch up with itself and Zoro and his prized racing bike slid into the black smoke and laughing fire of the wreck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The first thing Zoro heard as he drifted back into the conscious world was beeping. A steady and constant rhythmic, yet annoying noise and with a groan he turned his head from it, burying it deeper into the stiff pillows he was lying against. Slowly he opened one eye slightly, the bright lights invading sharply and he closed it again, turning deeper into the pillow and bringing the thin blanket up over his head. He wanted it to be dark, but this really wasn't good enough.

He became aware of his body slowly, realizing that there was an I.V imbedded into his left hand and a second one in the crook of his right elbow. He felt stiff and sore, but could move all his toes and roll his ankles, bend his knees and shift his hips. Breathing didn't seem to hurt, much, a slight stinging pain, but he figured he was pretty doped on some sort of pain medicine. And even though it was difficult, thanks to the I.V's, he could move his fingers, hands, arms and shoulders. Nothing seemed broken. Sucking in a deep breath, he gave a grunt and opened his eyes, searching the room.

White; blinding white overtook his sense of sight for a moment as he realized he was in the hospital. He kinda figured he was, given the beeping and the tubes and the needles stuffed in him, but opening his eyes kinda confirmed his suspicions. A large window with the blinds closed was to his left, one of those movable tables pushed to the side, littered with papers and cups, someone's phone. His? Maybe, Zoro couldn't really see it. Beyond the beeping, Zoro swore he could hear the hum of the florescent lights overhead.

A previously unknown weight on the bed shifted and Zoro turned his head, neck suddenly very sore and tried to focus in on where the weight was in proximity to him. A hand dropped onto his upper thigh, patting lightly as a mass of black hair swung up into his vision. "L—Luffy?" Zoro's voice sounded rough and unused to his own ears. How long had he been here?

"You're finally awake, good." Luffy gave a sharp nod, standing up and reaching across Zoro and the bed to grab the phone off the table. So it was Luffy's phone, no wonder he hadn't recognized it instantly. Sitting back down in one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs, Luffy leaned his elbows on the edge of the bed and proceeded to, Zoro could only assume, send some sort of mass text to everyone. Closing the keyboard to his phone, he set it on the bed next to Zoro's leg and pulled his hat back onto his head with a large grin. "We have been worried about you."

"I didn't think you were going to be back yet." Zoro leaned back into the pillows, closing his eyes. Now that he was actually alert, his whole body felt sore. He tried to swallow, is throat feeling dry and painful. His nose stung too, as if that was dry as well. With a shake of his head, he tried again gaining a frown from Luffy.

"I will go get you something." He said in his calm quiet voice. "The nurses should know you are awake too." And he turned, walking out of the room, his sandals padding quietly on the tiled floor.

Closing his eyes again, Zoro tried to gain a frame on time. What did he remember last? Dropping Kitetsu on his side, that's what. That nice new paint job was going to be ruined. He and Usopp would have to take the bike apart again, resurface and repaint over the next few months. Why? The fire and smoke. The crash! Holy shit, the bike crash! Then nothing. He must have hit the wreck. He was still moving pretty fast, he could remember that much. Bringing his hand up, Zoro wiped it down his face with an inward groan. So he didn't even get to finish the last race of the season and instead had been in the hospital for...what? Hours? Days? _Weeks?!_

A light flashed in his eyes and he opened them again to see a reindeer. He snapped them shut, taking a deep breath. _What the actual fuck?!_ Let's try that again. Slowly he opened them and again there was the reindeer, only now that he wasn't freaking out and the little light was gone, he thought he knew the beast... "Chopper?"

"Ah, you are awake." Chopper smiled at him, stuffing something in the pocket of his jacket and removing the stethoscope from around his neck.

"Is..is your nose blue? And what's with the hat?"

Chopper gave a small nervous laugh, removing a large pink fluffy top hat looking thing with fake antlers sticking out of the sides, setting it on the bed and rubbing at his nose. Rubbing the blue paint between his fingers, he laughed, voice all bubbly and with typical Chopper enthusiasm. "Yeah, I have my residency on the children's floor. I'm a reindeer with a blue nose down there. The kids love it!" He gave a huge smile. "All of them are always looking for Doctor Chopper, but I'm just an intern still. Take a deep breath." Zoro did as he was told, despite the fact it hurt quite a bit. He winced and Chopper caught it, but said nothing as he moved the stethoscope to another spot on his chest and asked him to take another breath.

"Can—can you even be doing this then?" Zoro coughed and Chopper frowned, looking over his face curiously for a moment before his face lit up and he dug back into one of his oversized pockets, pulling out something small, holding it out to Zoro. The racer scrunched his nose at the offering. "I don't do candy Chopper, you know that."

"It will help your throat. Doctor's orders." He giggled, holding it out closer to his friend. "I know technically that's not right, but you can't resist me."

"Ugh," Zoro swiped the candy from him, unwrapping it with a glare and popping it in his mouth. "Damned teenaged genius." he muttered, crossing his arms.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere you jerk!" The young doctor gave an excited laugh. "I gotta go, but I wanted to check on you. Glad to see you're up. I will come back when my shift is up." With a wave he picked up his weird hat and walked out of the room, bumping into Luffy, who greeted him warmly, a cup in his hand.

Sitting back down, Luffy offered the cup. "Here, the nurse said that you can have ginger ale and that's about it until the doctor can get in here to see you." Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he pressed a button and worked his way towards his messages. "That's Franky. He says he's on his way."

Zoro quietly sipped at the liquid in the cup. It felt really good to have the cold, yet bubbly stuff running down his throat, but as soon as it hit his stomach, it growled loudly, causing Luffy to laugh. The large bright eyes of his friend flicked from his phone up to Zoro, who was scowling mercilessly at his stomach, still sipping away at his drink. "How..." He started, but paused as the words caught in his throat.

Luffy set the phone down, leaned back in his chair and propped his legs up on the edge of the bed near Zoro's own feet. He crossed his arms behind his head, then brought one back to shift his hat forwards a bit lower over his eyes, before returning the arm to its previous spot. The green-haired racer could practically feel the tension mount in the air. "It's Wednesday afternoon." Luffy said quietly, voice void of any and all emotion.

"Wednesday?!" Zoro snapped, jaw clicking shut as Luffy titled his head to peer at him with one eye from under the aged and fading strawhat.

"Yup."

Zoro watched the dark eye narrow slightly, before flicking away from him and Luffy closed his eyes completely. "Wha...what happened Luffy?"

"Don't know. Wasn't there." The other man's voice held that dark gruff tone suddenly. He was quiet for a minute, as if contemplating if he wanted to add more to the sentence or not when he picked his head up with a large grin and a small laugh. "But none of that matters now! You're okay!"

"Yeah," Zoro took another sip of his soda, not carrying if his annoyance at the other man came out or not. "Grand."

Luffy just tilted his head to the side at him for a moment before shrugging and settling back into his chair once more. "Well, I'm gonna take a nap since I'm no help to you."

A faint knock on the door caused them both to look over to it and there stood a doctor, thumbing through a clipboard of paperwork. He was an older man, but gave a deep knowing sigh and looked up, adjusting his glasses. "So, Zoro, back again I see."

"Heh," Zoro scratched at the back of his head. "Kinda comes with the job Dr. Crocus."

"Well this time, you didn't do anything serious. A tiny bit of smoke damage to your lungs, but that seemed to clear up quickly. Mostly bruising to your chest and stomach. How are you feeling?" As he spoke, the doctor walked into the room, whacking Luffy in the shins with his clipboard so he would move, which he did, but not without a glare as he rubbed at his leg and getting Zoro to sit up.

His hands fell into his lap along with the blankets, as Dr. Crocus repeated what Chopper had done not twenty minutes earlier. Lip jutted out in a half pout, Zoro looked to the ceiling as he mindlessly took deep breaths for the older man. "Can I go home yet?"

"Do you want to go home?" The doctor raised an eyebrow at him with a wry smile.

"What do you think?!" Zoro snapped and Luffy snickered from his spot behind the doctor. Crocus looked over his shoulder to him and Luffy shut up instantly. Turning back to Zoro, Crocus flipped through the papers on the clipboard again, then gave a shrug.

"I need you to eat first and make sure you can hold down solid foods before I can release you. Since you haven't eaten anything in, what, four days? Sunday morning, I assume."

"I don't eat before races."

"So Saturday night, even better. Yeah, you will eat before you leave. Clear liquids and if you can hold that down, real food. I will go have the nurse make you some chicken broth."

"What?!" Zoro yelled after him as he turned abruptly and walked out of the room. "Dr. Crocus!"

"Whoa! No way!" Luffy turned back to Zoro jaw wide open. "That's not cool man! No one should ever have to go hungry. I will go get you some meat! Meat will give you energy and you will be back to normal in no time!" Without even giving Zoro a chance to refuse, Luffy was out of his chair and gone, bounding down the hall, sandals slapping loudly against the waxed flooring. Zoro heard a nurse yell at him to slow down.

"Ugh!" Falling back against the bed, Zoro threw his arm over his eyes and sighed. He wasn't sick dammit! He didn't need chicken broth, he needed a fucking sandwich or something. Maybe, for once, Luffy was right. Meat would be great right about now. He needed something solid in his belly, not fucking clear liquid. What kind of bullshit was that?! This wasn't like the last time he was here.

Far from it.

The knock on the door jarred him awake and Zoro blinked sleep from his eyes. He didn't even remember falling asleep, yet there was Franky in the door. The large man breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped into the room, holding a half crumpled paper bag. He held it up, looking at it awkwardly. "Uh, Luffy stopped me. Said 'give this to Zoro, he knows what it is.' Do I even dare ask?"

Zoro beckoned Franky over with a smile and snatched the bag, opening it greedily and pulling out one of the several fast food burgers that was in there. Normally he would have not even thought about eating this crap, but right now it was loads better than the damned chicken broth that nurse had tried to force on him. Mouth full, he groaned, eyes rolling back in his head in pure bliss. Never had greasy goodness tasted so sweet! Practically inhaling the first one, the racer reached for a second one as his roommate sat down in the chair.

"We were really worried for a bit there Zoro." He said quietly. "The track paramedics said you weren't breathing when they hauled your ass outta the wreckage."

"Crocus said something about smoke damage to my lungs." He spoke, mouth full of food, cheeks puffed out. Swallowing thickly, he added: "But I'm good now." He took another rather large bite of the food in his hands. "What happened?"

"I just told you."

"No, the race."

"Really?" Franky raised an eyebrow as Zoro nodded vigorously.

"I'm not dead and I'm eating. Important stuff dealt with. Time for the fun stuff. Race."

Rolling his eyes, the blue haired man shook his head. "Fine. The wreck took up a lot of time the race was rescheduled for Monday afternoon."

"What?! Why?" Wide eyed, the racer kept stuffing food into his mouth.

"Can I finish you walking trash bin?" With a laugh, Zoro nodded and Franky took a breath. "That crashed messed Hogback up pretty good, you as well, but it killed Moriah."

"What?" Zoro's face dropped and he stopped chewing. "Killed him?"

Franky nodded slowly. Zoro felt sick all of a sudden, but he wasn't sure if it was from the cheap food he had just rather quickly stuffed down his throat or the gut wrenching feeling of knowing what Moriah's family must be going through. "This makes two," he said quietly, laying back against the pillows.

"I wasn't going to say anything." Frankly mumbled back to him.

"Perona?"

"She's fine, well, she's Perona. She's been crying all week about how it's not...well, never mind. She didn't get hurt if that's what you're asking and she won on Monday as well."

The two men fell silent. Zoro pushed the bag and it's remaining contents farther down the bed and closed his eyes, trying to force himself to calm down. Waves of emotion he had buried hit him hard as he sat there in the small hospital room, this scene eerily familiar. Panic and fear gripped him suddenly and he pulled his knees up towards his chest as Franky looked up at him, a soft knowing look on his face. He didn't speak, but he didn't have to, the older man knew right where Zoro's mindset was right now. He hated seeing Zoro like this. He was normally so controlled and barren, hardly ever showing much more than slight mockery and sarcasm. To see him crack like this...it was almost painful to watch. All he could do was nod when Zoro spoke. "Can we go home now Franky?"

* * *

Zoro went straight to his room and curled back up in his bed when Doctor Crocus finally released him and the two got home. It had been late Wednesday night and Franky really couldn't blame him. Even pulled out the heavy winter blankets for him when he opened the bedroom door to check on him and saw the fluff of green hair sticking slightly out of the blankets, Zoro's whole body shivering slightly. Closing the door quietly, Franky, himself headed to bed.

Thursday Zoro really didn't improve much. Physically he was fine, in that sense, shuffling his way out to the kitchen, wrapped in the thick heavy black blanket Franky had thrown over him the night before. Sitting at the table, he pushed the blanket far enough back so he could drink the coffee placed in front of him, but he really didn't speak. A mumbled thanks came though when Franky set a plate full of eggs, bacon and toast before him. But he ate quietly and once done, got up, placing his dishes in the sink and wandering back to his room. The mechanic heard a _fwhomp _noise and the squeak of the bed springs as Zoro curled back up on it.

Perona showed up later Thursday afternoon, knocking quietly on Zoro's door and the man just grunted in response. "Are you okay?" She said quietly, arms wrapped around her stuffed bear.

Zoro pulled the blankets off his face and squinted at the pink haired girl. He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose, watching the other racer shift uncomfortably under his gaze. "I know I wasn't here when it...happened," she said, looking to the floor and turned her feet inwards to point at each other. "But, I know what happened. And I can only guess that you heard about Moriah," she paused as Zoro blinked at her. The two were quiet a minute before she held up her bear. "I brought Kumashi over. He always cheers me up when I feel sad."

When Zoro didn't move, didn't even blink at her again, just stared at her, she gave a sigh and dared to step into his room, placing the bear on the bedside table and turning back towards the door, once again leaving him alone. When Franky went to check on him that night before bed again, he couldn't help but laugh.

Instead of finding Zoro all curled up into a depressing little ball, the green haired racer was sprawled across the bed, the blankets and sheets kicked at all sorts of weird angles, loud snores coming from under the arm draped across his face. This wasn't what was funny to him though, the funny part was Perona's stupid stuffed bear. Wrapped tightly in Zoro's left arm and pressed tightly against his bare chest. The two racers may not always get along, but this only proved that they did care about one another. With a shake of his head, Franky turned away from the door, already knowing that Friday would be a better day.

The bear was sitting on the table when Franky woke, marking that Zoro was up and about. The apartment was empty though, despite the smell of coffee and Franky walked to the small window overlooking the shop to discover that Zoro was down there, standing with crossed arms before the mess that had once been his racing bike. Making a cup of coffee he wandered down to stand beside his friend.

"I don't even know where to start." Zoro breathed the words as he shook his head.

"Breakfast? And getting ready for the banquet tomorrow?" Franky made the suggestions, eyes still on the mess of the bike in front of him. You really couldn't call in a bike anymore honestly. The fire had striped and peeled most of the paint, melted the tires and just utterly destroyed anything that could be considered wiring or technological in the thing. Zoro gave a grunt, crouching down next to it, fingers barely touching the marred and pocked surface of what was once the gas tank. That had been one hell of an explosion.

"We rebuilt the Wado,we can rebuild the Kitetsu." Franky leaned forwards, placing a large hand on Zoro's shoulder, pulling back slightly. "Come on, lets get breakfast. We can't do anything with it till Monday anyways."

"I can pull him apart. Take out all the trashed wiring and the tires and...and..." Zoro shook his head as he stood up. He took a deep breath, speaking as he exhaled. "Yeah, you're right. I need to worry about that stupid party. Luffy and Ace are back! Well, you know that didn't you?"

"Yes," Franky nodded as the two turned back and headed for the apartment once more. "There are going to be a lot of new faces this year as well. Iceberg's secretary emailed me the list of people who are attending this year. I have it printed out in the office downstairs." He jerked a thumb back towards the employee area as he opened the door. "We can go over it after breakfast, but from the looks of it...it's going to look more like a frat party, than an upscale banquet."

With an evil laugh, Zoro closed the door behind him, dropping into one of the kitchen chairs. "Awesome!"

"You can have cereal for that." Franky dropped a box in front of him, along with a spoon and a bowl. He opened the frig, pulling out the milk, half throwing it onto the table where it slid a couple inches across the smooth surface, before sitting himself across from the younger man.

"Ahh," Zoro's shoulders dropped, but then he stood up. "I will just cook something myself then." He walked over to the small frig, throwing it open and leaning down to peer inside.

"No!" Franky snapped at him. "Not after last time."

"Oh come on!" Zoro whipped around to glare at Franky. "I can cook! The fire wasn't that bad and Usopp put it out before it really did any damage."

"I said no. For once in your miserable life, will you listen to me dammit Zoro."

Slamming the fridge door closed, enough to make the stuff on top of it rattle slightly, the green haired racer dropped back into his seat and grabbed rudely at the box previously set in front of him. Pouring himself a bowl, he set it, well okay, he dropped it, back onto the table and picked up the milk. The two ate quietly, in their typical silence, neither really having much else to say to each other. Once done, Zoro pushed up and out of his chair, dropping the empty bowl into the sink. "Alright, let's get this crap over with. You get the suits yet?"

The next day or so went by pretty quickly and the next thing Zoro really had to put any real thought into was the opening of the limo door and all the camera flashes. He grumbled at several things at once as he climbed out of the vehicle, turning to help Perona. First off, the limo. He had really wanted to bring the bike here, but Franky had taken his keys and forced him into the long black abomination. Second, the cameras. He couldn't go to anything remotely public without every one flashing photos of him. And lastly, Perona. The giggling girl was now clinging to his arm, waving to all the photographers as the two walked towards the front doors of the large hall.

Oh yeah, then there was the royal treatment. He was capable of opening his own doors, he didn't need these two schmucks opening them for him, bowing slightly, as he walked through into the large open crowded room. Instantly he was looking for a way to escape the pink haired leech, but it didn't happen before they were stopped by some...somebody, asking questions on how he was, how the race went, what it would mean for his career now.

With a growl, he pulled his arm from Perona, who, thankfully, hardly noticed as she talked excitedly to the newspapers, magazines and cameras, and wandered off to find something to drink. Something stiff to drink. Maybe he would just steal a whole bottle of something from the bar and wander off... A hand grabbed his arm and he spun around, hand snapping into a fist to find Luffy, Usopp and Ace, all smiling widely at him. Ace held up a beer for him and Zoro all but leapt on it, chugging half of it down in one gulp.

"Whoa, easy man," Usopp laughed at him, shaking his head. "This isn't a race to see who gets drunk first."

"You don't understand!" Zoro said as Luffy threw an arm around his shoulders. "The..I haven't had...ugh." He shook his head. "It's only been, what, five minutes? And already I have had my picture taken several hundred times and had to tell people my life story like five times."

"Oh, it's all part of being famous ya know." Ace laughed, adjusting his cowboy hat on his head. "But it's time for you to take a back seat there crotch rocket boy. Let the real men play."

"I can kick your ass and you know it." Zoro shot back at him as the four broke out laughing. "Where's the food and the bar this year?"

"Upstairs." Luffy pointed towards a large regal looking staircase. "We aren't allowed up there yet though. We tried, but some guy stopped us about half way up and told us to wait if we wanted to eat. He did go get us some beers though and was nice enough to get one for you when we asked."

"Well that sucks. I don't want to be down here any longer than I have to be." Swigging back more of the beer he had, Zoro frowned at it. "This isn't going to work for long either."

"I got this." Usopp opened his laptop bag that was slung over his shoulder, taking out a long thin bottle. Zoro recognized it instantly and snatched it out of his friend's hand. "Hey!" Usopp snapped, but then reached back into the bag, retrieving two more.

"Usopp, the sneaky bastard..." Ace said as he shook his head, taking the bottle offered. "How the hell did you pull this off? This is good stuff."

"I have my ways," The man threw his arms up in a shrug. "Anyways, no one suspects the techie of not having a laptop in their bag. They just assumed that's what it was."

"Oh, I could kiss you..." Zoro twisted the paper off the top of the cork and pulled it free, taking a long deep pull of the alcohol. He knew true Japanese sake when he saw it. "This must have cost a small fortune."

"Actually, Kaya bought it. She just told me to bring it to you guys. I left mine at home. We are going to drink it together sometime." He smiled at the thought of his wife, who was mysteriously not any where near by. Then again, she herself, had people she needed to entertain on nights like this as well. Even though it really had nothing to do with her, she couldn't go anywhere without someone wanting to talk to her either. She didn't mind though and it kept the cameras off him and his buddies.

"We should try to sneak upstairs." Luffy had left Zoro and was now leaned against his brother, shoulders hunched forwards as the two plotted something. Ace nodded quietly, taking a drink of the sake. Looking over his shoulder, back towards the door, he grinned wildly, giving a sharp nod in that direction.

"Look who just showed up though, things will get interesting now." He and Luffy both laughed at the woman who was walking through the doors. She had long black hair and startling blue eyes, wearing a sleek dark purple dress. "Nico Robin, why am I not surprised."

"Well of course she would be here." Usopp scratched at his hair. "She is on the list after all. Besides, she's one of the managers isn't she?"

"Well, yeah, that's just the thing." Ace gave a small smile. "Her guy, some rookie that no one even knows the name of, isn't even coming. She's here all by herself as representation for him."

"Interesting." Zoro crossed his arms, thunking the bottle against his hip lightly. Next to him, Usopp had his phone out, typing down notes for something. "Any idea if he's MMA or not?"

"No one knows. Well someone does, but they ain't talking." Luffy popped the bottle out of his mouth, tilting his hat back slightly. "She's really well known though in the gym. Guess she's really ruthless when it comes to what her fighters get. Or don't get." He shrugged. "Since he didn't have to come to this."

"I think this is all part of the mysterious new rookie syndrome personally." Ace crossed his arms, still watching the woman mingle into the crowds, stopping and talking with whomever seemed to ask. "I think he's here."

"How?" Luffy looked to his brother as the older man shook his head.

"I have no idea Luffy."

"Well," Zoro turned towards the stairs with a shrug. "I'm gonna go find a dark corner to get drunk in and not have to partake in this crap. You guys are welcome to come with me if you want."

"I wanna go see who's here!" Luffy practically shouted, bouncing on his feet next to Ace. "It will be like an adventure! How much trouble can I get into before I get kicked out!" He ran off, disappearing into the crowd with a laugh.

"Luffy!" Ace shot after him, trying not to spill his bottle. "Wait! Think of the gym!"

"I am!" He voice floated up to Zoro as he walked up the first couple stairs with Usopp. "Think of all the people we will bring in once they found out we got kicked out of here!"

"Those two." Usopp muttered next to him, thumbing through his phone. "There are no rookies on this list of attendants Zoro. Not that it really matters to us anyways." He shrugged. "Would be nice to figure out who it was for Ace though."

"Yeah," he nodded in agreement. The stairs were covered in a thick red carpet that muffled Zoro and Usopp's foot steps as the two made their way silently up to the second floor, pausing at the railing just past the stairs to look down to the crowd. Franky, Nami and Perona stuck out like a sore thumb and Luffy's laughter could be heard over the clamor of the crowds. Camera lights flashes and snippets of conversations drifted up to the two as they watched.

Being away from the noise, the two heard Zoro's phone ring and without even looking, Zoro pulled it from the pocket of his pants and picked it up. "Hello?"

"I should go find Kaya." Usopp said mindlessly, resting his arms on the rail. He stood back up, waving to Zoro, who nodded at him and turned his attention back to the phone call as he watched Usopp walk back into the madness of the party below.

"_Zoro?"_

"Kamakiri? You home?" Zoro turned from the rail, stepping down the hall and ducking into a room so he could hear his boyfriend better. A little smile crossed his face as he closed the door behind him. "Did you see the race yet? I gotta—"

"_Zoro...no, I haven't seen the race. I don't need to see the race."_ The man's voice was calm and quiet on the other end of the phone. _"I read the papers."_

"The papers? Oh, yeah, the crash." Zoro's smile dropped and he scowled into the dark room. "I'm fine though. Really. Crocus said so. My lungs are gonna clear up and everything is going to be fine. You're home now though right? Can I stop by after this stupid party? I really missed—"

"_Zoro. Stop. Just...please."_ Zoro took a drink of his sake as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone.

Something was off. "You okay? Kiri? Hey, talk to me." It was quiet on the other end of the phone for a moment and for a split second Zoro thought the phone call had dropped. He pulled the phone from his ear, looking at the screen, then pressed it back to his ear again, a slight panic beginning to pool in his gut. "...Kiri?" He asked again quietly.

There was a sigh. A heavy deep noise. _"I can't do this Zoro. The papers...they said that you were dead."_

"Well I'm not as you can plainly see, well hear." Zoro snapped into the phone.

"_Are you even listening to me?"_ Kamakiri's voice remained neutral, neither giving nor taking any emotion from the words he spoke. _"I can't _do_ this with you. I can't wake up to the news feed on my phone telling me my boyfriend is dead Zoro."_

"What?" Zoro almost dropped the bottle he held in his hand. It slipped slightly in his fingers as he loosened the grip on it. Later he would regret the way he sounded, but right now, the only thing Zoro could do was plead with the man, try to reason with him. "What? No, you can't. I can stop racing or something. Tell me what you want me to do! Just don't...you can't break up with me!" Tears began to well in his eyes. After the last few days, his emotions were all outta whack anyways. The last thing he needed was this. Not here and not now. "Kiri, please!"

"_Zoro..."_ The line went quiet for a moment. _"I'm...I'm sorry Zoro. Really."_

The line went dead and Zoro stared blurry eyed into the darkness of the room beyond. Did this really just happen? Had the man he had just spent the last five months with really just do that to him? On the phone?! At the fucking yearly banquet no less! With a growl, he flung the phone out across the room, hearing it hit the plush carpet with a soft thump as his back hit the wall. Slowly he slid down it as he brought the expensive sake to his mouth.

He had this after all and for the time being could swallow this hollow feeling in it. He practically chugged the remaining portion of his bottle, barely tasting the fine alcohol as it went, a few unchecked tears sliding down his cheek to mix with the small amount of sake that leaked from the corner of his mouth. Bottle empty, he wiped his hand across the back of his mouth and stood up to retrieve his phone.

Normally he could drink like a damned fish and be fine, but Zoro could tell by the way everything around him was slightly tipped and the warm burn in his belly, tonight was not going to be one of those nights. Picking up his phone, he shoved it in the pocket of his suit jacket, dropping the bottle on some table he fell against as he made his way towards the door.

Roughly he rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes and blinked as he pulled them away, fumbling for the door handle. Fuck this party and fuck Kamakiri! He was headed to the bar, open or not and was going to just drink. What else could he do? Sulk like a little fucking girl? No fucking way was he going to do that! He was Roronoa _fucking_ Zoro. So that left...what?

Tonight, he was going to get trashed, that's what.

And he really didn't give a fuck.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Zoro was aware of two things as he stumbled back down the hall towards what he hoped was the bar. It _was_ in the opposite direction of the room he had just so rudely been dumped in and the stairs were _right there! Holy hell! _So, it was only reasonable that the bar was this way. Anyways! First off, Luffy was still here...somewhere. His voice rose above the loud...the loud of downstairs. And two...Zoro remembered why he didn't chug _really_ good and expensive sake. It went right to that part of his brain that caused everything to tilt sideways and for the floors to jump up and try to trip him. Yeah, cause he totally was capable of walking on his own two feet. Had been doing it for _years._ He had it mastered now.

Tripping again, Zoro caught himself on the rail as the smell of food assaulted his nose. Ah, yeah, that was one of reasons he came up here, wasn't it? Food. Man he was hungry too. Food would help curve this drunk he had going too... Giving the floor the couple minutes it needed to stop moving, Zoro pushed off the railing and followed the wonderful smells that were coming from the opposite end of the hall.

The large double doors he came to won the stare down and with a shrug, Zoro pulled one open. The aromas that flooded his nose made his mouth water and he groaned in happy drunk heaven at the same time his stomach growled approvingly. Tables, large and round, were covered in sharp light blue table clothes, littered with white plates and sparkly silver dining ware. Off to the right where long square tables, empty chaffing dishes lined up neatly on dark blue clothes. A half drawn curtain to what appeared to be some sort of make-shift kitchen let the sounds of talking, banging and clanging drift towards him.

Suddenly, someone stepped out from behind the curtain, carrying a large and deep silver pan of something and saw Zoro. Slowly they set the pan into the frame, covering it, before leaping the table...Zoro was quite impressed actually...and running up to him. "You can't be in here!"

Zoro pulled his head back and turned to face the large man with his stupid apron and weird pink bandana thing around his neck. He was taller than the racer, but not by much and the green haired man stumbled back slightly as he tried to look up at him, snickering at the pissed off expression on his face. "You need to leave jerk. We aren't ready to shove food in your face yet."

"Fucking make me." Zoro crossed his arms and blinked a couple times. He was fairly certain this guy just insulted him, but he was too light headed to really care. That sake made his brain...fizzy. Yeah...fizzy. Like champagne. That shit was gross though, he much preferred his sake. Instead, Zoro found himself blurting out, a slight chuckle to his words.. "You look _really_ stupid."

"Me?!" The guy's eyebrows shot up as he stared at Zoro, who was weaving slightly on his feet. "Are you drunk? You're freaking drunk!"

"No-ope." Zoro nodded, causing the whole room to wobble as if he was standing on a ship or something. This made him giggle and he found himself doing it again, stumbling a step to the side to counteract the floor's attempts to trip him again.

The other man ground his teeth together before snapping hands into fists and opening his mouth to speak to him, when a second person stepped from behind the curtain carrying a similar tray of food to the first and yelled at him from across the room to get his ass back to the kitchen. Zoro looked past the man standing in front of him, to the food and for a fleeting moment contemplated striding over there and getting into the food before everyone else. Because, ya know, he was important and shit. Being a racer and well, just...him. Yeah, he was Roronoa fucking Zoro after all.

The man looked over his shoulder to the one yelling at him, yelling back and instead of food, Zoro took the moment to search for the bar, catching the long sleek counter on the far left of the room. Turning away from the man as he stomped his way back to the makeshift kitchen, Zoro fell against one of the tables, apologizing for his rude interruption before making his way clumsily to one of the bar stools.

The stool was playing hard to get with him though, smoothly turning away from him like a graceful dancer in a perfect spin. Zoro hated dancing and with a growl, slammed both hands onto the arch of the chair's back, swung it around and firmly planted his drunk ass in the chair. It swung slightly as he hit it though and threw him into the counter. Pain shot through his chest and his lungs, causing him to cough and wheeze loudly. Guess he wasn't fully over that whole smoke inhalation yet. Drinking probably wasn't helping him get better in the slightest either...oh well. Too late!

Leaning his elbows on the polished counter, Zoro buried his face in his hands, taking a deep breath, tying to calm his thumping heart and pounding lungs. This was most definitely killing his amazing buzz! Sucking in a breath through his mouth, Zoro held it for just a moment, feeling the throbbing of his lungs as he held the air in them, before slowly letting it back out again.

Opening his eyes, Zoro tried to focus on the blurry little bit of paper on the counter in front of him when he heard a bottle clunk lightly onto the counter top near him. He moved one hand just enough to see the rounded bottom of the bottle, the clear amber liquid beyond the colorless glass almost beckoning to him from it's teasing position just inches from his fingertips. The hand fell to the bar top with a smack and he picked his head up, reaching out for the bottle.

"I wouldn't touch that." The smooth, husky voice caused Zoro to pause, raising an arched eyebrow at the bottle. He wasn't that drunk...was he? He was pretty sure bottles didn't talk. But he also hadn't seen anyone over here, which was one reason he came over here. It was quiet and dark and there was this oh so tempting bottle of what looked like some sort of rum and...and...

Zoro reached out, just barely brushing his fingers against the warm edge of the glass, as if testing it; daring it to speak to him again. "I said don't touch it." The voice spoke again, followed this time by an actual human being. And well, hot damn, if it wasn't one that Zoro found quite appealing in his drunken state. Blonde hair and light skin, a tall lithe frame, all wrapped in a nice black suit. His shoulders were a bit narrower than Zoro would have normally liked, but he knew better than to judge a book, or well, man, in this instance, by his cover, having first met Luffy and not giving him enough credit for the power that guy packed in a punch.

He rose up from behind the bar like he owned the fucking place, all confident and alluring, deep blue eyes narrowed at him in suspicion before something flickered in recognition and a sneer crossed his mouth. Flicking his head to the side, tossing the blonde hair back over his eye, he spoke again, his voice the very brain halting sound Zoro really didn't need right now. "Well, if it isn't Roronoa Zoro. What, by chance, do I owe this pleasurable meeting to?"

The words left his mouth before Zoro could really do much about it. "Who the fuck are you?"

The blonde leaned back, slightly shocked at Zoro's outburst, eyes widening for a moment, before regaining the sneer and lifting a glass from under the counter. "Is that really the way to speak to the man who holds the power to give you more booze you shitty bastard?" he raised an eye brow at Zoro as he swung a small glass between long fingers. "Shall we try that again?"

Zoro bristled at the comment, quickly searching the man's face before rising slightly out of his chair as he leaned forwards over the counter. "Who you calling a bastard, you curly browed twit!" He gave a sharp nod before planting his ass back into the chair.

The man clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Yes, because I have never heard that one before." Setting the glass down, the blonde, deftly undid the buttons to his suit coat, taking it off and folding it, before tucking it under the counter top. He ignored Zoro completely, continuing by rolling the sleeves of his light and dark blue striped dress shirt, that very oddly matched the table clothes, and adjusting his black tie. Zoro sat and watched quietly as he brain swam around in his skull as he tried to wrap just what it was about the blonde he found so interesting.

The racer couldn't quite settle on one thing or another beyond the initial thought and that was quickly turning into something he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with right now. Or maybe he did. He wasn't so sure if it was him talking or the alcohol messing with his hormones. Maybe some of both. Resting his chin in his hand, Zoro gave the other man a cocky grin. "I'm sorry."

"Yes and I'm the owner of this place."

"You don't look like Iceberg to me." Zoro chuckled to himself, feeling quite smug. "You are most certainly a lot cuter than that man."

"Excuse me?" The blonde's voice seemed to drop as he paused in opening the bottle that was on the counter. He raised an eyebrow at Zoro before he gave a sharp twist of his wrist, breaking the wax seal on the bottle. "Did you really just say what I think you said?"

Zoro paused, trying to think back. What had he just said? Being as he normally wasn't ever drunk, being so now was causing him to forget himself and what was coming from his mouth. He was pretty sure he had told the blonde that he didn't look like...oh shit. He was totally hitting on the blonde bartender. What the hell was wrong with him?!

The blonde continued on, not waiting for Zoro to answer him as he tipped the bottle against the edge of the glass on the counter, filling it more than half way before sliding it with a single finger towards the other man. "I didn't think that of you. Quite interesting."

Zoro stared dumbfounded at the drink in front of him, barely touching the back of his hand, his thought process trying to catch up and figure out a way to recover from this. It wasn't that he didn't care what the other man thought of him, just his personal life was his personal life and he was drunkenly and stupidly blurting it out to this complete stranger. This rather attractive stranger, but that wasn't the point here. He didn't have to wait long though as the blonde had dug out a rather expensive looking phone and was flipping through it quietly.

With a small satisfying grunt, the blonde turned the phone to face Zoro, a rather decent picture of himself and Perona across the wide screen. "This just showed up on the news apps. Guess I just assumed you and her were dating."

"Yeah right," Zoro snorted as the blonde took the phone away, looking at the picture once more. "Take a good look at that picture, you will notice I am trying to flee for my life."

"Ya don't say." Flicking his thumb across the phone, the other man shrugged and put his phone away. "So then, if the famous racer isn't dating his partner, there must be someone?"

Zoro scowled into his glass as he picked it up. "Do bartenders get paid to try to leech information out of people? Are you going to the press with this shit?"

"I'm not normally a bartender if you must know. I actually run this set up here. If you had bothered to notice the business card you are drooling on."

Zoro wiped at his chin, gaining a chuckle from the bartender. "I'm not drooling you bastard."

"Could have fooled me." Something about his voice irked Zoro. It was suave, but annoying all at the same fucking time. The green haired man kept fighting with himself in his head, torn between not talking to get him to shut up and wanting to know what types of sounds he could get that husky voice to make. Okay, maybe he should stop drinking. His smile got under his skin and even though he was pretty sure it was the alcohol talking Zoro wanted to both punch him in his cocky little face and find out if the man was teasing him or possibly actually interested.

Setting his glass down, he picked up the previous blurry piece of paper. This was the same light blue as the table clothes, deep blue lettering in a swirled script across the top. A phone number underneath the three words. _All Blue Catering._ "So you're a cook?" Zoro flipped the card over, but it was simply blue and blank. "Not much of a business card. Who are ya supposed to ask for when you call that number?"

"You ask for me." He said calmly.

"So I ask for the cook then?" Zoro tapped the card against the counter in his left hand, reaching for his glass with his right and picking it up casually. With a large gulp, he finished the glass, dropping it the last couple breaths to the counter top, gaining himself a glare from the blonde cook turned bartender. "Does the cook have a name?"

"Not one that I'm gonna tell a shitty jerk like you." Smooth as silk that voice was, its tone calm and almost seductive. It had to be the alcohol doing this to him. He watched carefully, well as carefully as his drunken state would let him, as the man filled the glass a second time for him. "How'd you get up here?"

"I walked." Zoro spoke sarcastically. "Duh."

"That's not what I meant." The blonde gave a frown. "Who let you in this room? We aren't ready to serve the guests of this party, yet here you sit." He gestured to Zoro with his hand, then turned to double check the row of bottles on the back of the bar. Turning back, he sighed and leaned against the counter, resting his arms on it near Zoro. "You seem pretty drunk already though, Roronoa Zoro, I'm not even really sure I should be serving you."

"You don't have to call me that." Zoro spoke into his glass as he polished off this drink as well. "Most of the time people don't go around using my full name."

"Oh?" The cook raised himself up on his elbows a little. "Then what do they call you? Marimo?" He gave a half smirk, raising one of his curled eyebrows in mock teasing.

"You're funny cook." Zoro set the glass down and pushed from the bar. The rum was beginning to hit him now, reigniting his fading buzz. This guy had filled that little glass pretty well each time and it was most definitely more than what should have been in there. A nice warm heat pooled in his gut and he was happy to let it sit there. "I'm blowing this joint. I'm gonna go home."

Turning Zoro reached into his suit pocket, pulling out his phone as he stumbled back towards the door. His shoulder collided with the wall and he hung there for a minute as he pressed the button on his phone and flicked through it till he found the app he needed. Normally, he didn't need such a thing, but in his current state, Zoro decided this would be a better idea. "Caime," he pushed off the wall, holding the phone close to his mouth and pushing through the door. "Thousand..."

Zoro stopped in the middle of the hallway. "No," he said quietly, pausing to really think about what he wanted to do. He could go home and sleep this off or he could walk around the city and try not to get arrested while he walked this off. This was difficult. Scratching at the back of his head, finally he shrugged. "Yeah, Thousand Sunny Caime." He gave a sharp nod and headed for the stairs, fighting with the carpet the whole time as it tried to trip him.

The blonde bastard laughed behind him and Zoro turned to look at him. Once again he had the suit jacket on, hands in his pockets, but all Zoro could really seem to focus on was how long the bartender's legs seemed to be. He stood with hips cocked to the side as he smirked at him. "What's wrong Marimo? Can't walk straight?"

"I can to!" Zoro snapped and slipped off the first step, catching himself on the railing.

With an open laugh, the blonde stepped up to the railing, placing both hands delicately on the railing top, splaying his fingers as he took a deep breath. "Ladies and gentlemen; if I may have your attention please!" His eyes flicked to Zoro, who had now righted himself against the railing, but was still hanging on for dear life and grinned, large and mischievous. Taking a single step back, he bowed slightly, his long legs making the action graceful and seamless. "Dinner is now being served."

"Fuck you!" Zoro hissed as the blonde sauntered off down the hall with an open laugh. Turning back, wide-eyed to the stairs, Zoro was horrified as the large crowd seemed to all shift in one motion towards him and the stairs. There was no way in hell he was stable enough to walk through this throng of people without getting caught! Or trampled. Or both.

Maybe if he stayed against the railing he could sneak down as everyone wandered up in one massive herd of hungry noise. People were already upon him, his concept of time twisted from the amount of alcohol he had consumed in such a short amount of time. Faces blurred past him, mostly, thankfully ones he didn't know. Not that they didn't know him. His characteristic green hair kinda made him stick out. "Zoro!" Luffy's voice sounded and he caught a glimpse of the bubbly man bounding up the stairs towards him, his bother still hot on his heels. "Time for food Zoro!"

"I'm not all that hungry Luffy." Zoro just nodded towards the base of the stairs. "I just wanna go down."

"Are you drunk? Holy shit! I didn't think you could get drunk!" Ace laughed, obviously pretty tipsy himself. "This is great! Wait till I tweet this piece of gold!"

"Don't you dare." Zoro growled at him. "Just get me outside you miserable bastards."

Ace snapped a photo of Zoro, stuffing the phone back in his pocket before the green haired drunk could get it from him. "I am making that your new ID picture in my phone." With a laugh, he pulled Zoro towards him, grabbing an arm and pulling Zoro's arm over Ace's shoulder. "Come on ya drunk fool, let's get you outside."

"But...foood. Ace." Luffy shuffled on the step, whining to his bother, getting bumped and jarred by the people as they passed.

"Go on Luffy, I will be back up in a minute. Once I get Zoro outside." Ace nodded towards the top of the stairs over his shoulder, giving Luffy a grin. "I won't be gone long."

"Okay," Luffy grabbed at his hat as someone knocked into him, grinning wildly. "Night Zoro, feel better!" And he turned, taking off up the stairs and disappearing into the crowd.

Zoro sighed, pretty annoyed at the fact that Ace had to physically haul his ass down the stairs, but he knew there was no way he was going to get there otherwise. The black haired man prattled on as they went, talking about what he hoped the upcoming year would bring and how the gym was improving with the two's latest business trip out of town. Before he realized it, Ace was pushing out the front doors into the cool night air. "There we are Zoro." Ace detached himself from his friend and took a step back. "Are you sure you are gonna be okay? You want me to give you a ride home?"

"Naw," Zoro waved him off, swaying back and forth on the street. He pulled his phone back out of his pocket and thumbed to the screen he needed and turned in a circle as the large arrow from the GPS pointed behind him from where he was facing right now. "Caime's got this." He waved Ace off and started walking. He wasn't sure where the other man went, but he was pretty sure Ace ventured back inside since he had told Luffy he would be right back.

Zoro didn't need a baby sitter anyways. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He did train at a gym with MMA fighters after all, plus it was no easy feat to haul around those damned motorcycles all the time. Ugh, motorcycles...he had to redo the Kitetsu. At least it would keep him busy this winter in between all of Ace's matches and the photo shoots. When were those anyways? He didn't think he had been told, but then again, Franky may have mentioned it and Zoro just wasn't paying attention. Ya know, because _that_ had never happened before.

Zoro stopped after recovering from a trip over a difference in the sidewalk and leaned against a street lamp, glaring down at his phone as Caime was telling him he needed to turn around. Like that damned GPS knew what she was talking about anyways. He knew how to get to his own home, even if it was quite a walk from the city. Kinda couldn't have a motorcycle dealership slash repair shop in the middle of a compact city.

Frowning, he turned around, wandering back and forth across the sidewalk, keeping a close eye on his phone and for when Caime told him he needed to turn again. Not that he was lost at all, he was drunk. Yeah, that's it. He needed Caime tonight because he was too shit faced to know what he was doing or where he was headed otherwise. That was what he was telling himself anyways.

Turning a corner, he noticed a car behind him but at first didn't think much of it as it took the right with him down the street. It didn't really bother him till he realized that the vehicle was tailing him, purposely not driving past him. Hanging a quick left, and Caime screaming at him all the while, Zoro let out a low growl and turned to the car as it turned the corner with him.

The sleek dark blue car pulled up next to the curb, the driver lowering the black tinted window to reveal that fucking shit headed cook, a cigarette now dangling from his mouth. "Get in you drunk lost moron. Granted this has been quite comical, but now you are just getting ridiculous."

"Cook?" Zoro tilted his head. "What the hell are you doing out here? Thought you had a catering business to attend to tonight."

"Naw," he flicked some ash off the cigarette out the window, before setting it back against his lips and inhaling. "Those morons got it covered. You are far more interesting."

"I don't need your help. I got Caime." Zoro held up his phone, getting a raised eyebrow from the man in the car.

"Oh, your girlfriend?" His voice had that mocking tone back to it, mixed with what Zoro thought was slight disappointment. That could have been his imagination though since he was pretty sure the blonde was going to become a new member of his bathroom fantasies.

"Naw, Usopp's GPS." Zoro held the phone back towards him in both hands, fiddling with it a little and turning it sideways with a tilt of his head.

"Oh get in the car, you marimo idiot." the blonde sighed, shaking his head and flicking his spent cigarette out onto the sidewalk. "Let me give you a lift home. It's not that far from where I need to be going anyways, honestly."

Zoro hesitated. This could end two ways. Really badly, him making a complete fool of himself in a number of different ways including and surely not limited to him throwing up in this guy's car to making some sort of unwanted drunken move on him. Of course this could end quite well with him making some sort of drunken move and getting laid out of the deal, but he really didn't think this guy even swung that way. Of course he had been wrong before!

Making a mental note that he was most likely going to end this night with some sort of black eye, he shrugged and staggered around to the passenger side of the car and dropped into the seat, barely getting the door closed before the blonde hit the gas and took off down the street. The two were quiet for a minute, just listening to the engine shift gears as the cook slammed on the shift stick. Finally, after looking around the small two person car, Zoro decided to speak. "So..." he said calmly, trying not to sound as drunk as he was. "Care to explain why I'm so interesting?"

"Hm?" The man turned his head towards him, but never took his eyes off the road. Zoro turned to look at him, the street lights overhead flashing across the blonde hair as they drove along. "Never seen anyone with green hair before."

Zoro frowned. "That's it? Really? Well guess what blondie, it's real, so mystery solved."

"That so?" Zoro thought he saw a slight smirk, but it flashed quickly and was back to the neutral expression as he drove. "Too bad."

The racer raised an eyebrow at this comment, a slight tilt to his head. Okay, he was most undoubtedly hearing what he thought he was hearing. Silence fell over them again as the blonde took the last right out of the city, stepping on the gas and racing the couple miles towards the Thousand Sunny as fast as he dared. Which seemed to be pretty fast, Zoro was fairy certain they were buzzing along at a good clip past the speed limit cause it was something he, himself would do when he was out cruising around on Shuusui. "So," the cook said, pulling into the parking lot of the Sunny, Zoro digging a set of shop keys out of his pants pocket. "Are you able to crash here for the night? Now that I think about it, I just assumed this would be where you wanted to go." He laughed at his own stupidity and Zoro couldn't help but grin. He got out of the car, closing the door, leaning on the open window.

"I live here." He blurted it out before he knew what else he was saying, jerking a thumb towards where he knew the apartment lay upstairs. The bartender quirked an eyebrow at him in interest, so Zoro took that daring drunk question, the words falling out of his mouth before he could stop them. Not that he would even if he was sober. He had made up his mind on the way here. "You...wanna see the shop? I could give you a look around the show room."

The blonde gave a calm blink before flicking the keys off and pulling them from the ignition, opening his door and stepping out. Zoro could hear his dress shoes click on the pavement as he turned slightly, waiting for Zoro to walk around the car and towards the side of the building. "Where are you going?"

"Gotta use the back door. I don't have a set of keys to the front door. Normally don't need them. Don't worry though, we can get to the front from out back." Zoro walked as he spoke, the cook catching up to him quickly with his damned long legs. He was beginning to sober up a little, not a whole hell of a lot, though, and knew he needed to get something to eat before too long. He stuffed the key into the back door and hip checked it open, sliding through none to gracefully, the cook quietly walking behind him. "Hang on," Zoro said as he flicked on some lights. "I gotta get out of this damned suit." And without waiting, dashed up the stairs into the apartment.

He changed quickly, throwing on a pair of sweat pants and one of his white shirts, grabbing a couple pieces of bread and smearing some peanut butter between them before coming, barefoot, back down the stairs. His feet padded against the cement as he walked back over to the blonde who was now standing, hands shoved in his pockets, staring down at what was left of his racing bike. The cook looked up, a small frown on his face. "This the bike?"

"What's left of it." Zoro shrugged, taking a bite of his makeshift sandwich. "We will start tearing it apart on Monday." With a jerk of his head, he turned towards the small door that led to the show room. "Come on cook, I will show you what an actual bike looks like. I have my street bike out here along with all the bikes that are for sale."

"Can't believe you walked away from that." The blonde looked over his shoulder to the bike as Zoro paused to open the side door to the show room.

With a chuckle, Zoro held the door open as the blonde slid past, chest barely touching his own as he made his way into the open show room. "I didn't," he said with a smirk, catching the slightest hint of the other man's cologne. He bit his lip to stifle a moan as the scent seemed to invade his mind in all the right places. "Guess I wasn't breathing when they hauled my ass outta there. I don't remember." Letting the door close behind him, Zoro took a bite of the food in his hand and padded over to where the blonde was standing in front of a sleek pink bike. "So anyways, that's Perona's newest model, the...uh, crap. I don't remember. Cutie or some crap. I don't know where she comes up with names."

The two walked along, the blonde only seeming to be half interested in what Zoro was saying as he watched through half lidded eyes as the racer explained the bikes to him. Zoro began to feel a little less drunk once the bread and peanut butter actually hit his stomach and by the time they made their way to where his old Yubashiri sat on the stage, he was a little less dizzy and a little more aware of the cook and the way his eyes seemed to be following him.

Upon completing his little spiel on the bike, Zoro turned back to the cook, rubbing a hand through his hair. "It's not the most exciting stuff if you aren't really into bikes, which you don't really seem like you are. You could have stopped me at any time ya know."

"You seemed like you were enjoying yourself." The phrase was simple, to the point and the voice still made Zoro's head swim. The cook gave a half-assed smirk and turned, shoes sliding across the floor, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Some of these are quite impressive."

"None of them beat out my other bike though," Zoro said as they walked back towards the shop. "Have you ever been in Water Seven? That white bike in the front room is mine as well."

"You own the Wado Ichimonji? How much did that cost you? I thought a female racer owned it." The bartender raised an eyebrow at Zoro as the two stepped back into the open shop, pausing at the door so Zoro could lock it again. "Didn't she die though? Get killed in a crash?"

Zoro was quiet as he turned the lock, listening for the tell tale _click_ before turning back to face the cook, who unknowingly stirred a raging hornets nest of emotion in the racer. He nodded once, looking at the floor as he leaned back against the wall at the base of the stairs that led to the apartment. "Yeah, she was killed in a crash. One she should have walked away from. One I'm—" He stopped, swallowing and closing his eyes as a hand came up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. "That's a rough topic okay."

Taking a deep breath, Zoro swallowed, moving his hand over his eyes as he heard the cook move near by. "What if..." there was a pause in the voice as it hit Zoro's ears, low and throaty. The green haired racer could just see the smirk on the bartender's face as he spoke. "I gave you a way to forget it?"

"Huh?" Zoro pulled his hand away from his face, but before he could get it too far, it was smacked away, the blonde's body sliding flush with his own as the man's mouth crushed against his. Zoro went rigid for a second, neither fighting nor accepting the kiss, as he just stared at the closed eyes of the blonde. Then, with a groan, he relaxed into the kiss, arms coming to rest on the other man's hips. He knew what he wanted, the cook did, as he nipped at Zoro's lower lip and grinding against him, causing the racer to gasp in his drunken state and open his mouth just enough for a hot tongue that wasn't his own to enter his mouth.

He fought back though, bringing his own tongue to meet the blonde's as one hand slid up the man's back to wrap in the blonde hair at the base of his neck. They may have been fighting in his own mouth, but there was no way he was just going to let this cook man handle him and take control. Oh hell no. He pulled back finally, pulling the blonde away from him by the hair. "Whoa, whoa, whoa now," he said, panting and swallowing once. "Who even said—" He stopped, lost for words, drunken brain still swimming in a fuzzy stream screaming _holy fuck the blonde is into guys!_

"I'm sorry," the blonde stepped back a pace and Zoro could feel the body heat leave him as the man did so. "I shouldn't have. Just something about the look on your face when you mentioned that racer. I—I wanted to make it go away."

He could feel himself reaching out to the blonde to pull him back to him and Zoro couldn't stop himself from doing so as the body came flush with his again and he gave a small smirk, jerking his head in the direction of the apartment above them. "Wanna take this to my room?"

The second his bedroom door closed the cook's mouth was on his again, hands nimbly sliding under his shirt as he fumbled to get that damned suit jacket off. The blonde's fingers licked at his abs before withdrawing to remove the bothersome jacket with a click of the tongue and a grumbled warning to not ruin his clothes. Shoes were toed off and tie loosened as he turned back to Zoro, an almost feral look to the one showing blue eye.

For a split second it crossed his mind that maybe he was too drunk for this, but as soon as the bartender's mouth was back on his, hot and wet, he abandoned the thought and pulled the striped shirt free, dragging it and his hands up smooth pale flesh. The man groaned, grinding his crotch against Zoro's hip and already he could feel the beginning of the lithe man's excitement.

His own heart was pounding, all the blood rushing south as the cook's shirt was easily removed and Zoro got a good look at the chest of this man. His earlier thoughts of not judging were correct as under that shirt was a lean muscled body, not an inch of fat anyway. Each muscle rolled with grace under the light skin as the blonde pulled his arms free of the shirt, wrapping them around Zoro's neck as he came back for another fierce kiss.

The blonde's hands worked their way down Zoro's back sliding just the tips of his fingers over the muscles of his spine till he came to the hem of his shirt, flicking both hands under the fabric and pressing into the flesh of his lower back. The racer took a step forwards towards his bed, forcing the smaller man to step back as the two worked their way towards the bed. Sliding a hand to the center of the muscle hard chest, Zoro pushed back, the blonde catching his knees on the edge of Zoro's bed and landing awkwardly upon it with a small bounce.

"What the hell marimo?" He snapped as he came up on elbows. "That any way to treat a guest?"

"Is trying to seduce me in my own work space the way for a guest to treat a host?" Zoro shot back, voice husky as he crawled onto the bed and over the blonde.

"Guess not." He gave a smirk as Zoro loomed into his space, shifting to hold his weight on his knees and grabbing at the slim hips once again as he leaned to kiss at the blonde's neck. He tilted his head to the side, still perched on his elbows, jerking his hips up as Zoro bit down on one part of his neck close to his ear.

The bartender's hands were wandering again, coming to the shirt and bunching it up in his hands as he pulled it up and over Zoro's head, breaking the contact with his neck as he pulled it off. There was a pause as the shirt was discarded and the cook got a good look at Zoro's chest and the long scar across it. Zoro paused, watching the cook's movements as a single hand came up to run down the long jagged line, eyes following close behind. Then the deep blue orbs flicked up to Zoro's own dark eyes and the racer thought he saw something there he couldn't identify before a hand grabbed his hair and forced his head down to lock mouths with the blonde again.

A leg came up, sliding up Zoro's side to wrap around his waist and before Zoro knew what was up, or down, in this case, he was staring up at the blonde, who was smirking triumphantly. As he settled himself against Zoro's growing hard on, wiggling his ass just enough to make Zoro's eyes roll back in his head with a groan, the racer felt those fingers again, trailing down over his abs towards the hem of his pants.

Thumbs hooked under the material and pulled down as Zoro watched with a smirk knowing right where this was going. Happened every time. No one believed him. "Holy fuck." The blonde breathed out, eyes darting to up to his face as his mouth hung open slightly. "It's fucking green."

"No shit ya bastard, I told ya so." With a chuckle, Zoro shifted his hips, knocking the blonde off balance, causing him to catch himself on his hands, swinging his face dangerously close to Zoro's own. The blonde swallowed, licking his lips and biting his lower lip as Zoro spoke, voice straining with want at this point. "How do you want to do this?"

Zoro was pretty sure the blonde blurted out the words before he really meant to say them, given the look on his face after the fact, but it was all he needed to hear. "Never been fucked by a guy with green pubic hair before."

In one semi-fluid motion, Zoro flipped the two over again, quickly undoing the belt, button and zipper to his pants, hooking his thumbs under the pants and boxers and pulling them down, dragging blunt nails over heated flesh, releasing the confined erection and removing the pants all together, dropping them in a heap by his bed. "And you're really a blonde."

"No shit sherlock!" The cook snapped, kicking Zoro in the shoulder. With a grunt, he raised an eyebrow at the new twist to the bartender's arsenal as he reached over to the drawer in his bedside table, opening it and removing the bottle of lube he kept in there. Flicking the drawer shut, Zoro snapped the top to the bottle open, squeezing a bit onto his fingers, rubbing them together with his thumb to warm the slick mess up. The blonde raised an eyebrow at this. "Considerate," he said, half mocking, half actually thankful.

Zoro leaned back over the lithe form, ignoring the heaving chest and starting with small nips at the defined abs as he slid the back of his hand down a muscled thigh, encouraging the blonde to spread his legs wider as Zoro's chin hit against the blonde's hard on. The cook's breath hitched slightly at the slight friction and the racer took his changes being between what looked to be rather powerful legs if the muscles had anything to say about it.

All at once, he wrapped his tongue around the head of the blonde's cock at the same time fingers danced around the cook's entrance and blonde sucked in a breath, that came back out in a shuddered moan as Zoro took the blonde into his mouth as he pressed a single finger into the cook. His right hand came to wrap around the throbbing length of the cook as he teased the head with his tongue, circling the ridge and dipping into the slit in a seemingly successful attempt to distract from his fingers.

The long low groan the man gave as he relaxed his legs, giving Zoro more space to work and the hands threading into his short hair were both good signs and he took this chance to introduce a second finger, curling the two around as he familiarized himself with the blonde's body. Then came the halted gasp, hands tightening almost painfully in his hair, as his fingers brushed against the blonde's prostate. Lucky guess if Zoro did say so himself and he pressed the third and final finger into the shaking body of the blonde, stretching and scissoring his fingers. All the while the bartender seemed to be trying to suppress as much noise as possible.

Zoro worked the blonde with his fingers and mouth for a minute before shaking the hands free of his hair and withdrawing completely from him,causing the cook to look up at him from where he had thrown his head back against Zoro's pillows. Reaching for the lube again, Zoro poured some in his palm and wrapped a hand around himself, hissing at the cold against his own heated and throbbing flesh, giving a few quick pulls to coat himself before reaching for the quivering thighs of the cook.

He really had no idea why he was doing this. It had to be because he was drunk and even though he was aware of every single thing that was going on, Zoro was unable to stop himself from doing it. It was almost like his sober self was just along for the ride as his drunken self brought strangers home and fucked them in his bed. Too late to back out now he supposed.

The blonde's back arced beautifully as Zoro pressed in, sliding past the rings of heat, burying himself in the warmth of this foreign body. And both men moaned in unison as they stilled to let the panting cook gain his senses. After a moment and a harsh swallow, the bartender bit down on his lip, nodding his head vigorously, encouraging Zoro to move.

That was all he needed as the green haired man started a slow rhythm, pulling back from the other man, till he was almost free of the warmth before thrusting back in, arcing that back once more. Those long, lean and yes, quite powerful legs wrapped tightly around him as Zoro fell into a fast pace, the blonde's muffled whimpers and moans into his pillow in an attempt to keep quiet, urging him forwards.

The cook's hands wrapped in the crumpled blankets of Zoro's bed as he slammed into the lithe and willing body that was so savagely wrapped around him, ankles digging into his hips as he rocked with him. Twisting slightly, Zoro aimed for that area he had just barely hit before and struck gold as the blonde let out a strangled cry, actually sitting up and wrapping his arms around Zoro's neck, throwing the green haired man off balance and knocking the two of them to the side of the bed.

Some how coming out of the tangled mess of limbs, the cook ended up on top, Zoro clinging to rocking hips as the blonde pressed smooth hands against a sweaty chest, taking it upon himself to continue to hit his own pleasure center. He still bit his lip, which only served to turn Zoro on more at this point, to keep the moans to a minimum, but he threw his head back and just ground his hips down hard against Zoro as he thrust upwards into the slim body.

Knees pressed into tan hips as Zoro wrapped his hand around the cook's neglected hard on causing a slight hitch to his panting before he let out a low unchecked moan, dropping his head forwards against his own chest, hands tightening on the muscles of Zoro's pecs. "Fuck I'm...I'm gonna..." The cook's voice was raw with lust as his whole body seemed to tense around and on top of Zoro.

The blonde slammed himself down on Zoro's throbbing cock once more before peaking, spilling his lust on the racer's hand and across his chest, his whole body clamping down hard on Zoro as he threw his head back once more in a gasped out cry of pleasure. The green haired racer groaned as the blonde tightened around him, giving a couple more frantic thrusts before his back arced and he spilled into the sated blonde, filling him with his own satisfied lust.

Blue eyes barely slights looked down at him as Zoro lay panting, arms outstretched on either side of him and he gave a half smile as he swallowed, trying to catch his breath. Already he could feel sleep closing in on him. The combination of being drunk and good drunken sex quickly over taking his senses. He felt the blonde slid off him and his weight shift to the bed next to him as he fought to keep his eyes open. Suddenly they felt really heavy though and as sleep overtook him, Zoro remembered nodding yes to the blonde's question if he minded if he had a smoke.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Light pierced his eyes, snagging away the loving darkness and blissfully unaware sleep he was in and Zoro groaned, rolling over, burying his head into the pillow as his bedroom door slammed open. "Care to explain..._Marimo_?" Franky sounded pissed off and Zoro picked his head up, blinking and squinting at the other man over his shoulder.

Franky was framed in his door, arms crossed, deep disappointed frown etched on his face. "Wha...?" All of a sudden, the racer's head began to throb and he dropped back onto the pillow with a groan, waving a hand at the mechanic. "Shut the light off Franky. I got one hell of a headache."

"Not till you answer me." Franky shifted and recrossed his arms with a shake of his head. "I didn't think you were that type of person Zoro."

"What type of person?" He muttered into his pillow.

"The type that cheats on their boyfriend Zoro. Man, I knew you got stupid when you were drinking...yeah, Luffy told me Usopp snuck you all alcohol, but this is bad even for you."

"I didn't cheat on anyone!" Zoro sat up despite his headache, slamming his arms against the bed, glaring at Franky. "That bastard called me last night during the fucking party to break up with me! He _called_ Franky. Didn't even have the balls to say it to my face!"

Zoro's head swam, pain throbbing behind his eyes and across his forehead, swinging madly into his temples as events of last night began to swim around in his dehydrated brain. Kamakiri calling him and him chugging that amazing sake...he would have to ask Kaya where she got it, so he could order some. Then the bar, his walk around the city, well more like stagger around the city. Then the car that picked him up and the bartender with that amazing pliable body...

The bartender.

Oh shit!

His eyes slid shut and he brought his hands up to cover his face as waves of images crashed into his frontal lobe of the blonde cook. Bringing the guy back here and fucking him taking up a good portion of the show. But man, what a show! He was quite glad he had gotten a front row seat, so to speak. Zoro didn't even know his damned name though for crying out loud! What the fuck had he been thinking? Oh yeah, that's right. He wasn't. "Sooo..." Franky's voice split his thoughts in half, dragging him back to the surface of his well of self loathing and mind numbing hang over. "Care to tell me who he was?"

"I..." Zoro started, bringing his hands away from his face to stare at them blankly. Had he spent the night?! How the hell did Franky know the horrible nickname the blonde had given him? _Holy shit the cook had actually stayed the night?!_ Why didn't he remember that?! Right, cause he normally passed the fuck out after sex. And he was drunk on top of that...ugh. "Cook?" He asked, looking over to the other man in hopes that answer would suffice. His roommate simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh my god...you don't know his _name_ do you?!" The blue haired man's mouth dropped open for a moment before he closed it with a snap. "Zoro!"

"It wasn't like I was in my right mind last night Franky!" He snapped, flipping the covers off the bed and throwing his feet over the edge. He must have gotten up at some point cause he had his pants back on, but he didn't remember that. Like he gave a fuck either way anyways.

"Well he seemed like a jerk anyways. Cocky bastard if you ask me."

"You met him?" Oh good...that's the last thing he needed. If that was the case it meant the guy had indeed spent the whole fucking night here and Zoro had been too comatose to even realize it.

"Oh yeah," Franky sounded quite sarcastic as he spoke. "Made coffee and offered to make breakfast. Guess someone didn't tell him that you had a roommate. A roommate the actually owned the room you sleep in! He was quite comfortable till I stumbled out of my room to make coffee. He got a phone call though and left in quite a hurry. Never got his name, but I guess that just makes two of us."

"Okay, I get it." Zoro stood up, a new wave of pain pounding on his brain and he wobbled slightly before stepping forwards towards Franky and the door. "Was just some drunk one night stand anyways. Not like it really matters much."

"I at least try to get a girl's name first." Franky moved aside to let Zoro past as the green haired man chuckled slightly, regretting it instantly and rubbing at the side of his head.

He paused in the bathroom door, looking back at Franky with the first cocky grin of the morning. "Believe me, that guy was not most definitely _not_ a girl Franky." Zoro shut the door before Franky had a chance to respond.

Turning the shower on, he stood facing the mirror, taking in his shit complexion of the morning. His eyes were blood shot and he swore he could see his temples pulsing with each beat of his heart that seemed to focus in his skull. His tongue felt swollen and his mouth almost painfully dry. Also tasted like shit; he really needed to brush his teeth. His body ached, in both the good, post sex sense and the bad, drinking sucks sense. A nice hot shower would certainly relax his body and hopefully help with the headache. Picking up his toothbrush, he set about painfully starting his morning.

But that still left the blonde and his strange behavior. Okay, staying the night and leaving before he woke wasn't that strange, Zoro himself had done that in the past. The strange part was the fact that he had hung around to fucking make coffee and even offer to make Franky breakfast! Had that occurred strictly because he did think that Zoro was the only one to live above the shop. It wouldn't be unreasonable since they must have both been asleep when Franky had come home.

Blonde bastard was fucking weird though. Offering to cook breakfast? What the fuck was that shit? He spit in the sink and ran the water to rinse his mouth and the toothbrush.

Zoro stripped off his pants and stepped into the shower, thankful that the water was hot and it felt good against his skin. Dropping his head forwards under the spray, he took a long slow deep breath in through his mouth, letting the warm spray invade his throat and lungs, soothing as it went. Even they hurt today. He would have to go back over the paperwork that Dr. Crocus sent him home with to see exactly what it was that could be causing this.

Opening his eyes, he stared at the drain, watching the water swirl around the opening before slowly trailing his eyes up over his own body. He was littered with bruises from the crash, some fading and almost gone, others still deep, dark and highly visible; his chest most of all. Yet, right there standing out in the middle of all the dark purple splotches across his chest, and the few light burn marks from where the paramedics had used those fucking resuscitation paddles on him, was the deep scar. For whatever reason the cook had taken a moment to trace it, draw his fingers down it softly and Zoro found himself repeating the action now. He only wished he could identify what had flitted across those blue eyes.

That man, by far, had been one of his weirdest and most enticing sexual experiences to date. Most of the time people wanted to date him because they thought he had money or because of his name. This guy seemed to actually be remotely interested in the person. Of course that could also just be his own drunk thoughts making stuff up. He really couldn't get carried away here. A drunk fuck was a drunk fuck after all.

It still didn't answer his question to the odd behavior though.

A knock on the door caused him to look over towards it through the sheer curtain and he could make out an excited voice from the other side. "Zoro! You gotta see what Usopp did!"

"Chopper?!" Zoro shut the water off, regretting the words as he raised his voice to make sure it went through the sound of the water and door clearly. "What are you doing here?" He said a bit quieter as he wrapped a towel around his hips. He grabbed a second one, scrubbing it through his hair as he opened the door.

There beaming in the hallway was a happy little Chopper, the teen's bright brown eyes wide with excitement. In his hands he held a blue bike helmet and he held it up to for Zoro to see. "Look! Usopp painted my pink hat on it!" Zoro nodded quietly, trying not to hint to the medical student that he felt like shit. The techie had done a great job on the helmet though, a light pink semi-circle painted above the visor that had also been painted pink. It suited the teen perfectly. "Now we can go riding together like you promised!"

"Yeah." He ruffled the teen's hair and went to step past him to get dressed when Chopper grabbed his arm, poking at his chest. "What?"

"All the bruising. I never got a look at it in the hospital." His happy expression changed to one of sadness as he frowned, holding tightly to his helmet with his other arm.

Zoro patted his head with a faint smile. "Well that's not what you're here for today either. I am fine. It's just some bruising right? I wouldn't be able to have come home if it was still pretty bad, yeah? Let me get dressed."

"Okay Zoro!" Chopper turned, running the few feet back into the kitchen area with a sharp nod of his head.

Zoro closed his door behind him, dressed in a pair of thick sweats and a long sleeved shirt as he didn't plan on doing much other than giving Chopper a ride on one of the bikes and lounging around and being miserable for most of the day. Of course plans never work out the way Zoro wanted and he knew today was going to be no different when he discovered, not only Franky, Chopper and Usopp in the kitchen, but Ace and Luffy. Oh, this quiet day just turned into a circus!

Luffy's laughter seemed to split Zoro's head right in two and the green haired man grit his teeth against the pain that seemed to be worsening as he slid into an empty chair at the table. Usopp gave him a sidelong glance, but said nothing as he went back to fiddling with his phone. Ace was the one to speak, looking right at Zoro with a large grin. "So, you made it home okay."

"Yeah, thanks," Zoro dropped his head into his hands, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his palms. "I got home."

"You were pretty trashed." Ace said, a slight chuckle to his voice. Next to him, Luffy was snickering in his 'shishishi' laugh that made him sound absolutely evil. "I have never seen you like that."

"Normally don't get that way." Zoro muttered from behind his hands. "Been a tough week; emotions fucking with me. Makes everything whacked."

"What happened last night?" Usopp finally spoke, setting his phone down and lacing his fingers over the item on the table. Zoro pulled his face away from his hands looking over at his long time friend before he took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh through his nose.

"Kiri broke up with me last night. Decided he couldn't live with the idea that I might die some day." The racer frowned into his hands, attempting to glare through his palms. Franky paused in making a cup of coffee at the counter as the man spoke, having heard the story not too long ago himself.

The table fell silent as everyone looked at Zoro, slight sympathetic frowns on their faces. Usopp's eyes shifted to the table before he muttered a quiet 'oh.' Chopper looked from person to person, sharing the same saddened expression, but not entirely understanding what it was that this meant. Luffy slid his hat over his eyes, tilting his head forward. It was Ace that spoke. He gave a snort and jerked his head back, looking over to Zoro who still had his face halfway from his hands looking to Usopp.

"You don't need that shit. You need someone who will stand by you no matter what happened. Like Marco and me. Do you really think just anybody could stand by when Marco does what he does?" The black haired man slammed a fist on the table, causing Zoro to wince and everyone else to jump. "Pop some fucking pain killers man. We are going to the gym!"

"Woohoo!" Luffy jumped up, knocking his chair over as he did so. "I wanna ride back with Zoro!"

"No, Chopper does. I promised." Zoro shook his head at Luffy. The group wandered downstairs, Zoro throwing back some pain medicine as they went. Chopper was excitedly bouncing up and down, asking all sorts of questions about the bike and how safe it was; how fast they could go and every other thing under the sun that he could think of. It was no surprise to Zoro though, and despite his head ache, grinned the whole ride to the gym, as Chopper laughed the entire way, arms tightly wrapped around his waist as he weaved Shuusui in and out of traffic, arriving first at the gym owned by Luffy and Ace.

The younger of the two men jumped out of Ace's jeep before it had even come to a complete stop, rushing to the doors and jamming a key into the lock. With a laugh, he flung the door open, running inside and scrambling around to turn on lights. The rest filed in, Ace sighing with a shake of his head as he grumbled to Usopp about how excitable Luffy could get.

Zoro watched as the lights flickered on from inside the door and Chopper ran a little ways into the open space to look at the words painted across the wall. "Usopp did you do this?!"

"Yep," the techie walked over to his friend, putting a hand on Chopper's thin shoulder. "The Will of Determination Gym. Finished it last week actually."

"The Will of D!" Luffy's voice sounded from the back room with a laugh before music started blaring from speakers in the corners of the room.

Ace sighed, dropping a hand onto Zoro's shoulder, coming to step up against his back. "So, want to tell me about last night? You don't ever get that kind of stupid drunk nor do you look like a fucking train hit you the following morning. What are you leaving out?"

Zoro turned his head slightly, Ace looming in his peripheral vision as he watched the other three men laugh and fool around along the line of treadmills under Usopp's masterwork signage. Luffy's older brother narrowed his eyes at Zoro, waiting for an answer that the racer really didn't want to give. Ace may have only been a little older, but he had this 'I'm the eldest' command about him that Zoro had always found hard to fight. "Let's go outback, away from these guys. I don't need every one of you knowing what I do in my spare time."

"That good huh?"

"Or bad. Depends on how you look at it." Zoro sighed through his nose and dropped his shoulders slightly as he stepped forwards, the two men making their way towards the back of the gym where the weight sets were. Mindlessly, Zoro selected some pretty hefty hand weights and stood, staring off, not even bothering to count reps. Next to him, Ace did something similar, but he could hear him mumbling a count under his breath.

Again, the nameless blonde rocketed in to Zoro's thought patterns unwillingly. What was it about the bastard that Zoro couldn't get out of his head? The guy had been a complete jerk to him, calling him names, making fun of him and his hair, yet...yet, he had those fleeting moments where something shifted and Zoro couldn't help be feel like the skinny little shit had actually been attempting to be real. To be caring and possibly open to how Zoro had been feeling. That first kiss was anything but lust. The racer was almost positive the only reason the bartender had kissed him in the first place was because Zoro felt like he was about to burst into tears at the mention of his sister.

In fact Zoro could vaguely remember him mumbling something along those lines through his drunken stupor. But the blonde had been holding back too. The way he had bit his lip to keep from calling out. Just thinking about it sent a wave shuddering down Zoro's body. "Wait, wait, wait..." Ace's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at him. Mouth open, weights in his hands at his sides as he starred at Zoro. "The _blonde_? Since when do you go for blondes?"

Oh shit! He blinked calmly at Ace, who snapped his jaw shut with a click. Had he been thinking out loud? He had to have been thinking out loud! How else would Ace know? Zoro gave a half nervous smile as he spoke. "What did I say?"

"The blonde." Ace said again. "That's all you said. Which blonde Zoro? There were several blondes there last night."

"Um..." Zoro stopped, eyes darting about as he searched for the right words to answer his friend with. Were there even right words? How the hell did he...oh fuck it. "I ended up sleeping with the blonde caterer last night." He mumbled, dropping his head slightly, refusing to look at Ace.

"You..._what?!"_ Ace's voice rose a bit and a second later three heads poked around the corner of the wall. With a glare from Ace, they quickly disappeared and the freckled man stepped in close to Zoro, dropping his voice to a whisper. "The caterer?! That fucking jerk of a human being?! _That_ blonde?!"

"Yeah," Zoro set down a weight and rubbed the back of his neck. "He's the one who got me home."

"Wait...he came on to you?" Ace;s eyes widened as he spoke.

"Well, I think I started it at the party. I really don't remember, but it was him that picked me up while I was wandering around the city and drove me home. But I asked him if he wanted to see the bikes in the shop. He kissed me first." Zoro tried to wrap his head around the happenings of the previous night as much as Ace was and hell he had been there!

"You think you started it?" Ace shook his head. "Holy cow Zoro! Was it worth it at least? That guy seemed like such an asshole."

"Oh, he is." Zoro agreed. "And yeah it was." He couldn't help but grin at that. He was pretty happy with the fact he was able to remember most of the sex. One night stand or not, that was a night he really didn't care to forget. Ace was shaking his head at him, the strings to his hat swaying lightly around his throat.

"Man, you dumb ass." He gave a small chuckle. "Now what are ya gonna do?"

"Whaddya mean 'what am I gonna do?' I'm not gonna do anything." Zoro snorted. "Not like I will run into him again."

"And if you do?" Ace shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"I will deal with it then." Picking up his weights, Zoro went back to his mindless reps. Next to him, Ace snorted a laugh.

"That's just like you. Don't deal with a situation till it bites you in the face."

"There is no situation Ace. A one night stand is a one night stand. That's the whole point of them. There's some sort of attraction, you get it out of your system and move on."

"Lies." Ace said flatly. "Roronoa Zoro doesn't do one night stands."

Zoro sucked in a breath to snap back at Ace as Luffy's voice called for his brother. "The doc's here to see you!" As he finished yelling, a man walked around the corner. He didn't look like a doctor at all. He was covered in tattoos, wearing tight jeans and what looked like cowboy boots, a hoodie and a weird leopard print hat. And...and what that eyeliner?!

"Oh, hey Law." Ace dropped the weights, turning to the tall thin man as he walked towards them, a brooding expression plastered across his face. Zoro couldn't help but think to himself, who the fuck is this guy?! But Ace seemed to know him and was rather friendly with him.

"Last one before the fights start." Law's voice was quiet as he spoke, setting a bag down and rifling through it before taking out a stethoscope and pen light. Ace sat down on a lifting bench, easily taking off his shirt without even being asked as Law flashed the light across his eyes. "How's your sleeping pattern been?"

"Better." Ace shrugged. "I just want to fight."

"Why wouldn't you?" Zoro asked and Law turned to him like he had three heads. The man shook his head before turning back to Ace with a small frown. "Ace?" Zoro asked.

"That last fight of the last season...when that guy got that lucky hit in and I spent a week in the hospital..." Ace paused and Zoro filled the space with a 'yeah' the word holding the continuation of 'well continue.' "It's been messing with me ever since. Luffy jokes that I have narcolepsy, but it's actually TBI related. If it's bad enough, Law here says I can't fight."

"And who is this guy anyways? I have never seen him before." Zoro jerked his head at the man as he listened to Ace's breathing and spoke like the third man wasn't even there. Zoro didn't like the looks of this guy one bit. What type of doctor had the word 'death' tattooed across his hand anyways?

"I'm the MMA's doctor." He said in that monotone drawl of his. "I used to do a little fighting while I put myself through college." He said answering Zoro unasked question. His eyes flicked back to Ace, searching his face for a moment before he sighed. "I want to do another sleep test on you before I give you the go ahead." Ace simply nodded. Standing straight, Law proceeded to return his items to his bag, giving Zoro a look over once again. "You're Roronoa-ya?"

"Yes." He crossed his arms, glaring at the man. He didn't know why exactly, but something about this guy just irked him. Ace seemed to trust him though and the green-haired man knew that should have been enough, but Law seemed to be hiding...something. He just wasn't sure what.

Law gave a smile followed by a light chuckle. "I assure you there is no need to be worried about STDs. All the fighters have to be clean to partake. It's a new rule that was implemented several years ago. Just thought I would clear that up for you." With that, the man picked up his bag, turned and left. The two watched him go before Ace burst out laughing, commenting about how Law was a creepy guy but an amazing doctor.

"That does not explain the weird remarks. I know damn well I don't have anything." Zoro threw the weights down and stomped off back towards the front of the room. He rounded the corner, almost running into Usopp, who was looking down at his phone as he walked. "Hey man, watch where you are going." Zoro said, flicking Usopp in the forehead.

"Huh? Oh Zoro, sorry." He rubbed at his forehead for a second before turning back to his phone. "Just got a forwarded email from Franky. You should have too..."

"Left my phone at home."

"Oh. Well, it's from Iceberg's secretary. Guess they want us to have the bikes there first thing in the morning. So we have to head home to get that taken care of." Usopp frowned as he thumbed his way down the message. "I was gonna try to get some painting done tomorrow too."

"And I was going to start on Kitetsu." With a scowl, Zoro crossed his arms. "Well, let's get going then." Stepping past Usopp, he headed for the door, picking up his helmet he had set on the bench just inside the door. He stepped onto the side walk as a couple men, Zoro recognized them as a couple of the older MMA fighters, walked into the gym. It was still weird to see how all the fighters from the area could get along and work out in Ace and Luffy's gym. Hell, Zoro had a hard enough time dealing with Perona, let alone many of the other racers. Oh well. Not like he really had to deal with them for long anyways. Most of the photo shoots were just him and Perona from the racing world. It was more about the MMA and this year, the kick boxers, than it was the motorcycle racers. Everyone knew Water Seven sponsored them. Not everyone knew about the other branches.

Chopper jumped onto the back of his bike just as he was getting ready to pull into traffic and he saw Ace and Usopp hop into the jeep from his side view mirrors, Luffy needing to stay behind now to run the gym. Once again, the teenager laughed the entire ride back to the shop and frowned with a saddened 'aaawww' when Zoro pulled into the back of the shop. He dropped his shoulders and just sat a minute pouting as Zoro pulled off his helmet, walking towards the employee area and Franky's office.

Flopping down in the chair that was there, Franky raised an eyebrow, shifting his ever present sunglasses to his forehead. "Did you read the email?"

"No, phone's upstairs. Usopp told me though. We have to be there at what time in the morning?" Zoro shrugged. Looked like he wasn't going to get a 'vacation' this year. Last year there had been an almost two month gap between the end of the racing season and the start of the photo shoots. "Why so early too?"

"Someone doesn't want to take the time to photoshop all the bruises out of the pictures this year I guess. That was a huge complaint last year. Starting the photo opts after the fighters had started kicking the shit out of each other." Franky clicked on his mouse a few times before turning in his chair, crossing his arms as he watched Zoro. The man looked a bit better now that he had spent some time out of the house with his friends. "Why'd you do it?" He asked. He had never seen the other man do something like this before. Even after his sister died, he closed himself in, didn't go out looking for trouble.

"Why'd I do what?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at Franky. If that was the most random question on the planet. "I do a lot of shit Franky."

"Bring that guy here."

"Oh." Zoro's eyes dropped to the floor and he gave a shrug. "I don't know. I didn't. Well, I did, but...he gave me a ride home last night cause I left the party and was just out wandering around the city. One thing led to another and..." he trailed off with a shrug. "I was drunk. It's not an excuse. You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt this place."

Franky nodded, cut off by a knock at the door and Perona's head popping in. "I'm here!" She saw Zoro and stuck her tongue out at him. "Loser. You got to leave the party early last night."

"More like I snuck out." He threw back.

"Whatever." She dropped into the other chair, crossing her arms with a pout. "I was enjoying a quiet Sunday at home too. Just me and my stuffed bear. We were watching a horror movie and the guy was so cute." She gave a breathy sigh, looking over to Zoro. "Cuter than you."

"Would you stop that?" Zoro shifted his chair away from her. "You're freaking me out!"

"Anyways," Franky shook his head as the two bickered in front of him, poking at each other and sticking tongues out. "What bikes do you want to bring this year?"

"Oh, I wanna bring a Cutie! Everyone loves pink!"

"No one likes pink Perona. These are a bunch of guys remember." Zoro spread his fingers over his forehead with a shake of his head.

Usopp and Chopper's voices drifted in from the couch on the other side of the wall. The two were laughing at something that was on Usopp's laptop as the three talked in the office. Perona looked over her shoulder out to the two on the couch. "Bet they like pink. I thought you liked pink too Zoro. Don't all—"

"I don't like pink!" Zoro snapped. "Guess I need to give Shuusui a bath since I can't bring the Kitetsu anymore." Slouching in his chair, Zoro sighed. "How many are we allowed to bring this year?"

"They are still trying to convince me to convince you to bring the Wado."

"Not happening." Zoro stood up, crossing his arms and looking to the board on the wall that had new concept bikes pinned to it. "Kinda wish these prototypes were done."

"Actually..." Franky said turning to his computer. "I have an email from them, but I haven't opened it yet. Let's see..." Franky clicked on the email and was quiet a minute. "Oh. Oh wow!"

"What?!" Both Perona and Zoro said at the same time as they turned to Franky.

"The prototypes for the Zombie and Katana are all set. Gonna be making a special delivery to you guys this Sunday evening in light of Zoro's crash last week. Figured he could use some cheering up." Franky read from the email, practically laughing the whole time. The two racers exchanged an excited high five and Zoro ducked out of the small office to tell the other two about the new bikes that would be arriving sometime that day.

* * *

Zoro woke bright and early Monday morning. Perona arrived right before opening and as Nami sat behind the desk to answer a phone call, the pink haired girl flipped the sign, skipping as she wandered back to the shop where he and Franky were loading the two new bikes into the trailer. Perona's street bike, a modified Cutie model she called Princess sat next to the Shuusui and would be loaded in a bit. Walking down the ramp, Zoro went out to the showroom to get the Yubashiri and pushed it outback easily, parking it and strapping it into the trailer.

Perona moved her own bike into the trailer and giggled the whole time as she did so, eyes wandering over to the new sleek black bike she had for whatever morbid reason had kept the name Zombie. Kinda fit her in a sense Zoro guessed. "No," he said to Franky as he sat on his bike, Perona jumping into the passenger seat of the truck. "I wanna drive there."

"Suit yourself." Franky shrugged, getting into the truck and pulling out of the shop.

"Nami!" Zoro pulled his helmet on, blinking as the dim blue lights fluttered on. "Can you close this bay door here?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever Zoro." Her voice drifted in through the open door from showroom to shop. "Just don't get lost or be late."

"Whatever," he mumbled to himself, placing his hand on the bike panel and turning the key. "Water Seven Caime. As if you didn't know that's where I was going anyways." He sighed as the bubbly voice informed him he needed to go ten feet and take a right around the shop. Because he totally didn't know that or anything...

Zoro enjoyed the quiet ride to Water Seven, just letting the calm he enjoyed when it was as simple as him and his bike take over. There wouldn't be any type of filming today, just him, Franky, Perona, Usopp and a few of the photographers setting things up. The shooting was scheduled to start Wednesday. Which was fine. It gave him Tuesday to finally start work on his precious racing bike. As it was, that was going to take a good portion of the winter. Oh well.

Pulling into the side parking lot, he watched at Perona walked her street bike off the ramp and into the open double doors that led to the area where they would be hosting the shoot. Not even caring, Zoro drove his bike right inside, coming to a stop next to where Perona was standing, giving him a weird look. "What?" He said pulling off his helmet.

"Nothing." She shook her head. Franky walked the Zombie up on his other side with a sigh.

"Did I really just see you do what I think you did?"

"Maybe?" He grinned getting off the bike. "I will go get the Katana."

"Yeah. You will." Franky said with a frown. "The Yabushiri too. Perona and I will start setting up in here."

"Okay." Zoro walked back towards the door, his boots thunking softly on the carpet, then loudly as he walked up the wooden and metal ramp of the trailer. This new bike was a complete mystery to Zoro. The guy had come by like six months ago and asked each of them to give him a single word that he could use to create a bike out of. He and Perona, in one of their rare moods to get along, had been playing some video game. Each mentioned a word from the game to just get the guy to leave them alone. Perona had said zombie and Zoro had spat out katana at the guy.

Now he looked at a very thin sleek gray bike, the paint shiny smooth and part of him wanted to take the thing out for a test drive to see just how fast it could go. He was sure it would race down the streets, taking corners and weaving through traffic, sharp and true just like the weapon he had named it after. Kneeling by the front tire, he began to undo the chains and straps that held it in place, shifting to the side and onto one knee to undo the straps that held the back wheel in place as well.

Standing he slid his hand up the cool metal, stopping for a moment at the darkened control panel, wondering if his hand would trigger the recognition and start the bike. Brushing it aside, he moved both hands to the padded handlebars and kicked the small metal stand out from the side of the bike, feeling the weight in his arms and shoulders as the bike fell against them. Giving a grunt, Zoro pushed the bike towards the front of the trailer, head bent as he watched where he was placing his feet and turning the front wheel.

Footsteps on the ramp caused him to look up and he just about dropped the bike right there in the trailer. He actually had to stop and readjust his grip on the steering column. He blinked, staring wide eyed at the other person before their face split into a large toothy grin. "Well," the voice was smooth as silk and Zoro hated every single fucking word that came from the blonde bastard's mouth as he coolly stepped into the trailer after flicking away his cigarette. A shudder shot through Zoro and all the blood seemed to rush to places that weren't exactly called for as the shithead spoke all suave and confident. "If it isn't Roronoa Zoro."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

His first reaction had been to drop the Katana. For a split second Zoro had actually let go of the bike to stare wide-eyed at the tall blonde. Hips thrown to one side as he stood perched on the ramp into the trailer, hands stuffed in jeans that were way too tight. The hood to his sweatshirt was thrown up, masking his eyes just enough in shadow to keep that allure Zoro felt pulling at his gut. With a click of his tongue, Zoro pushed forwards again, moving the bike towards the other man, who simply watched with a cool and calm expression. "What do you want? I didn't think Iceberg had booked a caterer today." He gave a grin that was just as sarcastic as the words he spit from his mouth.

"That's not very nice." Taking a single step back, the blonde grinned as he let Zoro past, watching him as the green-haired man refused to reply and disappeared into the building. When Zoro came back, he was slightly riled to see the blonde had moved into the trailer and was taking another close look at the Yubashiri. "Ya know," he said, wide grin plastered across his stupid face as Zoro walked up to him, again ignoring him in favor of undoing the straps that held his oldest bike in place. "I didn't believe you other night when you said this didn't have computer in it."

Zoro simply grunted. Rolling the strap around his hand, he set it in the box screwed to a shelf along the wall and moved to the handle bars to kick the stand and move this bike as well. A black shiny dress shoe pressed against the front fender as the blonde leaned on the raised knee. "You going to talk to me or what?" He raised an eyebrow at Zoro, who slowly went from the foot on his bike to the snarky expression on the bartender's face, grinding his teeth the whole time.

"I suggest removing your foot from my bike before I break it." He growled out the words, but the cook simply smiled.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you." With a small chuckle he shifted his upper body weight, but didn't move. His blue eyes stuck out to Zoro from under the shadow cast by the hood as he locked eyes with the lithe man. "Go out with me."

"Excuse me?" Zoro jerked back, bringing the bike with him and causing the bartender's foot to slide off the bike and he awkwardly caught himself before he tripped forwards, still grinning like a fool as he looked up to Zoro through that mess of blonde hair covering half his face. In all honestly Zoro thought he looked fucking ridiculous. "Why would I want to do that?"

"For the same reasons I ended up in your bed the other night." That cocky son of a bitch! Zoro saw red for a split second before he sucked in a deep breath, letting it out through his nose. The blonde fished for a cigarette, pressing the butt against his lips, but he didn't light it, just smirked around it. "Unless the great Roronoa Zoro doesn't remember the other night."

"Oh, I remember you bastard." Narrowing his eyes, Zoro nodded sharply at the blonde. He stepped forwards again, determined to get his bike inside before Franky, or hell forbid, Perona, came out looking for him. "Again: why would I want to do that?"

The blonde's eyes shone with something Zoro couldn't quite put words to as he casually looked up his own body, spreading his arms a bit. "Why wouldn't you want to? I mean, look at me."

"Yeah, I saw you the other night." Stupid bastard. Who the hell did he think he was to even show up this morning? How the hell did he even know to show up this morning? That was what he should have been thinking about. Dumb cook.

"Were you not impressed?" A sneer formed around the cigarette.

"I don't have time for this right now blondie." Zoro swung his face into the cook's as he walked past with the bike, pausing just long enough to get the words out. Zoro be damned though if the fucker didn't lean forwards into the racer's space and lick the end of his nose. With a snort, he pulled away, wiping his face on his shoulder and moodily walked the bike into the building. The blonde chuckling behind him.

"Call me?"

"Fuck you!" Zoro yelled over his shoulder, but the blonde just burst out laughing even harder, doubling over in a fit of laughter from his spot in the trailer. With another growl, Zoro realized he seemed to be rather fond of doing that this morning, he stepped across the threshold into the building, parking the bike next to the others. Arms crossed, he watched the chaos around him for a moment before it occurred to him. The thought slapped him across the face so hard he jolted in his spot and turned on his heel, almost running back outside. He had left the blonde in the trailer with all their racing stuff _by himself?!_ What the hell had he been thinking?!

Damn jerk was still there, only now he was leaning against the side of the trailer, one leg bent, his foot resting against the side as he idly puffed on his cigarette, hands still, or rather, back in his pockets. Upon hearing Zoro's stomping boots making his was over, he smiled. This one seemed almost genuine this time, like it had the other night. "You came back out." He said simply. In his agitation, the fact that the blonde spoke with no hate, spite or malice was lost on the green haired man.

Zoro crossed his arms as he came to face off against the blonde. "I remembered I left you out here with the trailer door open."

"I wouldn't steal anything if that's what you are implying Marimo." He gave a snicker, inhaling a drag off the stick, the cherry at the end going red hot as he did so.

"How the hell would I know that cook?" Zoro shot back. "I don't know a thing about you."

The other man was silent a moment as he tilted his head to the side to take the last drag off his smoke before he lifted his foot and ground it out, stuffing it in his pocket. The white stream left the corner of his mouth as he tried to keep it away from Zoro. Was the man actually being considerate to the fact that one; Zoro didn't smoke and two; was recovering from smoke damage? Not like his whole fucking life story wasn't in the paper recently. "I gave you that option. Just dinner. One night. That's all I'm asking here. I think you owe me a bit of sober conversation."

"I have been giving you sober conversation all morning you dumb bastard."

The cook frowned, pulling a slip of paper from his pocket and holding it up between two long fingers, very similar to how he held his cigarette. Zoro recognized it as one of the business cards from the other night. "Just...just think about it okay?" He held the card out to Zoro, who snatched in from his hand roughly. The blonde then stuffed his hand back in his pocket, turned and quietly clicked his way off down the sidewalk, with out a backwards glance or another word. Zoro watched the man walk away for a moment before, looking back to the now crinkled card in his hand.

Opening his fingers, the same swirled script and phone number met him and he frowned slightly at it, not entirely sure if this was something he really wanted to deal with or not. Again that crazy blonde had done things that made Zoro second guess his opinion of him, but the green haired racer just couldn't get over the fact that the very presence of the blonde seemed to go right through him and piss him off. Flipping the card over in his hand, he expected it to be blank. He hadn't been expecting the simple phrase etched in a blue ink in a similar fashion to the printed words on the front. It took Zoro a minute to put the words to place before he remembered that he had asked the bartender at the banquet who to ask for when you called the number. He had to chuckle as he stared at the words before stuffing the slip of paper in his pocket.

_You ask for Sanji._

* * *

The first professional bike Zoro had named after him hadn't even been his idea. His sister had come up with it after she had discovered he had been sneaking out of the house at sixteen late at night to go street racing on the Yubashiri. He had hated the idea completely, but she had laughed and told him to deal with it or she would rat his little underground joy to the police. Grumbling, he had sat by as the name and blue print went out to the same people who built bikes with his ideas now.

He could still remember how excited he had been when she had called him from the shop to get his butt over there so he could see the bike. And the bike model still never seemed to fail to impress him whenever he saw one. A popular model when she was still alive, it skyrocketed when he hit the big scene. The bike came in an assortment of colors, but whenever the Thousand Sunny ordered a green one, Zoro couldn't help but take it out for a test drive.

_'Roronoa,' _his sister had said. '_Named after my little punk of a brother.'_

"Where are you taking that?" Perona sat on the couch with Usopp, playing some sort of video game. The girl's tongue was sticking out to the side and she leaned this way and that as whatever she was playing on the screen moved as well. Usopp was slouched on the opposite side of the couch, phone in his lap. He looked up over the back of the couch as Zoro stopped in the middle of the shop, the shiny green bike heavy in his arms, before returning to the game on the screen.

"Uh, it's Tuesday night." Zoro said awkwardly.

The techie paused the game, then poked his head over the back of the couch again, eying Zoro. "I thought you stopped doing that."

"Going to get Luffy." Zoro tapped his fingers against his helmet that was strapped to the back of the bike. "He's going with me this week." He paused for a moment, shifting his weight. "Shouldn't you be at home with, ya know, your wife?"

"She's out. Some big fancy party that I am not sophisticated enough to go to. So I'm gonna hang out here on the couch till she texts me." Usopp gave a frown.

"If Franky finds out you still do that, you're gonna get in so much trouble." Perona frowned at Usopp, hitting him in the shoulder for pausing the game. "Kaya's mean if she said that about you."

"She didn't. Merri is with her though. The guy who is hosting the party doesn't want me there. Guess he doesn't like the fact that I am covered in grease and paint most of the time cause, ya know, I work." The dark haired man flicked his hand into the air. "Heaven forbid!"

"Franky knows Perona." Zoro said simply before unstrapping his helmet and climbing onto the bike. "Usopp."

"Yeah?" His voice sounded a bit distant and Zoro really couldn't blame him. The other man had never approved of him street racing, even when they were younger. That had to be the one thing that always came between them. Despite everything, Usopp's fear of him getting hurt while out and about overwhelmed him. Ironic that it had been on the track and riding professionally when he got hurt.

"Shut Caime off."

With an annoyed sigh, Usopp pulled his laptop from his bag and clicked and shuffled about on it for a moment, before angrily stabbing at the enter key and slamming the screen down on the keyboard. "There. I have it set up to automatically come back on at three. You have till then." The techie slash artist stuffed the computer back into his bag. "After that I don't care if it records your location."

Zoro looked at his phone before stuffing it back in his front pocket. _21:35._ Plenty of time to get Luffy and head to the spot that had been texted to him earlier that day. "Thanks," he said before pulling his helmet on and starting the bike, overriding the hand recognition with a thumbed code that allowed for test drives of the bikes before purchase. Revving the engine, he sped out of the back of the dealership and shot down the open road towards the gym where he was meeting his friend.

Luffy was going to be going off and doing his own thing once Zoro got into the city, but he had told the other man he would give him a ride out to the bar he needed to be at. The racer wasn't entirely sure why it was Luffy did what he did and despite being asked if he wanted to join him a few times, it was Luffy after all and Zoro trusted him to be able to take care of himself.

The younger brother was standing outside the gym, arms crossed. He had a sleeveless red hoodie on, the hood pulled up over his eyes, secured by his damned strawhat. Each wrist sported a black leather band that matched the black cut off jean shorts he was wearing. The outfit was finished off with a pair of unlaced black boots and Zoro knew the only reason he was wearing those was because he was going to be on the bike. The helmet and backpack at his feet must have held his sandals and whatever else the gym owner needed for the night. He gave a nod to Zoro as he pulled to the curb, slinging the back pack over his shoulders before climbing on the bike. "You know that bar outside of the city. The one that opened the casino not too long ago. I need to go there. Things moved out there." And he stuffed the red helmet on, falling quiet.

Zoro pulled back into traffic weaving in between cars and around trucks, letting Luffy direct him with a pointed hand over his shoulder in one direction or another. Eventually the loud commotion of city traffic thinned out as the two turned onto a route that led away from the city and they rode quietly till Luffy tapped Zoro's shoulder pointing off to the right where a large and brightly lit building loomed along the horizon. "That's it!" Luffy yelled over the wind. "Are you sure you don't wanna join me?!"

"Yeah," Zoro answered as he pulled into the parking lot to let Luffy off. The younger man excitedly jumped off the bike, shifting the straps of his backpack. "I got a race tonight. Never really been my thing anyways, you know that."

Luffy held up his arm, hand open and Zoro grabbed it, locking hands with his friend. "Good luck man," And with a laugh, Luffy turned from Zoro.

"Yeah you too Luffy!" Turning in the parking lot, he paused to check his phone. Was almost eleven. He had just enough time to get to where he needed to be before the race started. Traffic had begun to die down as Zoro made his way back into the city and in the general direction of where he had been told to meet for this week's race.

Underground street racing had kinda been a thing he fell into when he was younger. He wasn't old enough to compete professionally, but knew he wanted to race, so he had found other ways to do so. He had been laughed at the first time he had arrived on the scene, quite by accident really, with his old Yubashiri. The faithful bike had proved his worth though and Zoro had been a pretty common name since then. Even when he switched to mostly riding professionally, when he would arrive at a race, everyone seemed to know who he was.

This had to be the one place he didn't mind it. Rounding a corner, two men stepped out into the road, a third leaned against a car parked to the side. Zoro pulled the bike he rode up between them, eying them from under the tinted plastic visor of his helmet. The man on his left eyed the green bike carefully, walking in a slow circle around it as Zoro steadied himself with his feet. The second man crossed his arms, then uncrossed them, pulling a phone from his pocket and thumbing through some sort of list he had. "You on here?" His voice was gruff and Zoro couldn't help but smirk under the safety of the helmet. These guys had no idea who he was.

"I better be." He said back, which just got him a raised eyebrow from the man.

The first man finished his lap of the bike with a nod. "Bike looks good. Pretty new, nothing modified to it."

"I don't need to modify crap." Finally Zoro pulled off the helmet, looking to the guy with the phone. "I just come here for fun anyways."

"Oh shit!" He almost dropped the phone, fumbling to catch it before he did so. "Zoro! Damn, I didn't know it was you. Yeah, you're good." He gave a nod. "How are ya anyways? Saw the papers and what not."

Zoro grunted out a response that could have passed for an 'I'm fine,' pulled his helmet back on and made his way further down the street, hanging a right into a large paved unused underpass. About eight years ago there had been some major construction within the city and now it was littered with abandoned straight-a-ways that were perfect for short distance bike races. Several other bikers were there, littering the space, along with a few cars. Some woman, if you could call her that, was wandering around in barely anything remotely close to clothing and a pair of high heels that Zoro wondered how she could walk in. Even Nami wouldn't wear them...and that was saying something.

Someone called his name as he pulled his helmet off and sure enough, there was the guy who put all these things together. Zoro wouldn't exactly call Shanks a friend, but he had been known to place some pretty hefty wads of cash in his hand before. He had met Luffy through him too so, in Zoro's book anyways, he couldn't be all bad. "How ya feeling? The papers say you got fucked up pretty bad."

"I did." Zoro couldn't help but grin at the red head. "I haven't seen what the papers said, but from what I have been told it was rough. My whole chest is still covered in like one big bruise."

Shanks shook his head. "You always were one for trouble, huh Roronoa?"

"Yep." He shook his head. "Half the time it just finds me though. Kinda like you and Luffy and Ace."

"Yeah, how are those two knuckleheads anyways?" It was Shanks turn to grin at Zoro. "That maniac still got my hat? He refuses to give it to me till he's King. But he won't tell me of what. I'm pretty sure I _know_ but I don't want to ruin it for him."

Zoro shrugged, tilting his head slightly towards the other bikers close by before continuing. "I don't really want to know what Luffy does when he goes to that club honestly. All I know is that Ace doesn't approve of it. Or you or any of this."

Shanks gave a wicked grin, scrubbing a hand through his hair before he laughed, throwing his head back and drawing the attention of several people. "Most people don't agree with what I do." He clapped a hand on Zoro's shoulder as he went to walk past. "We all ready to start this?"

Some guy, Zoro recognized him as one of Shanks' guys, jumped in a yellow car and reversed quickly, turning and flying off down the road as another car drove across the wide passage, effectively making a wall. Shanks sauntered his way towards the still present car, throwing his arm out towards a couple guys that were off to the side sitting on their bikes. Zoro put his helmet back on, flicking up the visor and made his way to where the red head was now standing. A quickly growing line of racers and their motorcycles coming to sit in front of him. The green haired man was sitting lazily at the end of the line, leaned back, arms crossed as Shanks went over the few rules that needed to be followed. Things like no kicking each other off the bikes...that had been a nasty race and one Zoro was glad he wasn't there for; and no extreme modifications. He then followed up with a wide grin saying that everyone should have had their bikes looked over when they arrived and if they were still here, they passed.

Tonight's race was simple. As fast as you could, make it to the yellow car. First one to cross the 'finish line,' in other words, the cars lights they lay across the otherwise dark cement, would win. Just a simple point A to point B race. "Don't stop," Shanks continued on. "The cops have been all over us lately. We will keep track of who wins and get the earning out as always. Cross those lights and fucking split! I don't want to see anyone other than my guys there. Got it?"

A chorus of 'yes,' 'got it,' and a single 'let's fucking do this!' rang out and all down the line, bikes were started and revved. Shanks turned and walked towards a third car, leaning against it's side as the chick with the high heels, overly swinging her hips, walked out to the middle of the make shift track, holding up what looked like a shirt. Zoro watched, leaning forwards against the Roronoa's handlebars as she giggled, making eyes at one of the racers, as she lifted the shirt, fingers crumpled in it.

The material slipped through her fingers and as it hit the ground every one of the bikes shot from in front of the car, whipping past the girl, who's screams of terror were lost in the roar of the engines.

It had barely been a week and already Zoro found himself laughing like a crazed fool at the loud roar of the engines around him. He lived for this. Both professionally on the track and here in the gutters of the city. He had always lived for this. The rush. The thrill. Not knowing what was gonna happen. Watching from his side views as others tried to keep up with him. The occasional one that would shoot past, engine whizzing as it poured on speed, just for him to lazily catch up and with his little mocking waggle of fingers rocket past towards that night's finish line.

Things were going smoothly as he leaned to the side, dodging a large water puddle and swaying across the lane with careful and practiced ease. None had really ever beaten him unless he really wasn't in the mood to care, which, was, ya know, never. It was the reason though that Shanks told him he was only allowed to partake on Tuesdays. It had been dubbed the rookie night and even though Zoro was far from a rookie and everyone knew it, the older man enjoyed watching Zoro toy with the new guys. And hell, he enjoyed doing it.

Easing off the gas, he let a guy shoot past him, black bike streamlining past, the rear lights doing that funky trailing thing that normally only occurred in movies as he weaved around the puddles. Zoro was on his tail though, not really giving the other driver the breathing room needed to relax and cheer themselves on with silent _I can do this! I can win!_

There would be no such luck as the racer swerved around a small puddle and twisted his wrist, pouring on a burst of speed and overtaking the rookie rider once again. The yellow car came into sight after a long and lazy bend and Zoro was sure, that despite all the noise of the roaring engines, the other rider could hear his evil maniacal laughter ring out. Sparing a glance over his shoulder with a wicked grin, Zoro blew past the car, bathing for only an instant in the light of the headlights before weaving to the right slightly, then left, racing up a ramp and back onto the streets.

A horn sounded and Zoro saw a car flash its lights at him in his left side view as he must have cut it off. In the right mirror he saw that black motorcycle disappear into traffic right behind him. That must have had to piss the guy off. To be so close to winning to only loose again. Zoro kinda wondered what Shanks would say, but also already knew. The read head would shake his head, hair falling into his eyes as he handed Zoro an envelope stuffed with cash, grinning about how all the rookies thought it unfair once they realized who they had lost too.

It was another reason why Zoro never brought the same bike twice now. Was harder to spot him on a different bike every time. And how many people wore a black helmet? It wasn't like he wore this one any other time. And even if he did, it was simple. He could pass for anyone.

Zoro shifted lanes, heading left and just wandering about the city for a bit, waiting on Luffy to call him. Pulling into a gas station, Zoro pulled off his helmet and pulled his phone from his pocket. Just after midnight. Figured. Luffy would be busy doing whatever it was Luffy did for another couple hours. Even if he left now, he would have to wait around for the younger man. So he had roughly an hour to kill...what to do...what to do...

The purr on an engine downshifting caught his attention and Zoro slipped his helmet back on as that black bike pulled into the station behind him. Zoro raised an eyebrow at this as he pocketed his phone and restarted the Roronoa. The bike roared to life and he picked up his feet as he moved the bike, swinging around the gas pumps and leaving the same way he came in, melding back into traffic smoothly.

He knew it. If Zoro could tell when someone was tailing him drunk, then he damn well knew when it was happening sober. Who the hell would want to keep track of him though? It wasn't any bike he knew, so there was no way it was Perona. The person on the vehicle was too small to be Franky and it took a damned miracle to get Usopp to ride on the back of one, let alone drive it.

Zoro hung a sharp right, breaking from the main flow of traffic and down a smaller street. The other bike followed at a decent distance, but Zoro knew whoever it was was still there. Could it be someone who was possibly trying to rat him out? Okay, so he did a little bit of illegal street racing? Who the hell didn't? But at the same time, being a big name racer with Water Seven paying all your bills was a bit different than waking up and going to the nine-to-five for the day.

_Shit!_

He needed a way to loose this guy and quick. An idea popped into his head and Zoro turned back towards the Thousand Sunny. He could go home, ditch this bike, get his racing helmet, a different bike and jacket and use the GPS in his phone to get to where Luffy would be. Whoever this was most likely knew who he was, so going home for the night would seem like a simple end to his little bit of illegal activity. Couldn't hurt to try anyways right?

He blew past the speed limit sign doing a lot more than what was posted, the other bike still on his tail. It was pretty obvious the guy was tracking Zoro now as no one really ventured out here at midnight unless they lived at the Thousand Sunny or knew someone there. Most people where heading back into the city from this direction at this point in time. Several restaurants and hotels littered this stretch of road and all the workers would be going home shortly from the evening shift. He took the right into the parking lot wide, circling around back and pulling up almost flush with the side of the building.

Ripping off his helmet, Zoro held his breath and waited. Would that other bike actually have the balls to come around back and seek him out? It wouldn't be the first time he had gotten into a fight back here and wandered upstairs with a broken nose and blood from numerous splits to the face. Hell at this point, Franky would just sigh and get the medical kit. The light from the other bike turned into the parking lot and Zoro found himself bouncing on his toes, shaking his arms in an attempt to loosen them up.

The sound of the gravel being ground under tires in the paved parking lot drew Zoro's attention, cocking his head to the side. That didn't sound like a motorcycle. He then heard the tell tale revving of a bike engine and could see tail lights speed off down the road. If that was the bike...who the hell was in his parking lot?! At midnight?! On a Tuesday!

Zoro set the helmet on the seat of the motorcycle as he watched the lights dim, then darken followed by the rumbling of an engine die off. Zoro wracked his brain...Franky's truck had been in the yard, parked out front. Usopp's car was gone as was Perona's bike. The racer felt his heart thump loudly against his chest. Sucking in a breath, he held it, despite his lungs still screaming at him that it hurt and was a bad idea. How long exactly was it going to take before he didn't feel pain anymore anyways?

Zoro heard the grind of a boot in the dirt behind him too late and turned right into the fist as it swung at him. Zoro stumbled back, hand flying to his cheek as he looked up to his attacker. "Holy shit Ace! What the fuck was that for?!"

"Where the hell is my brother Zoro!? I swear to whatever the hell it is that you believe in, if you took him to that fucking bar again...I will kill you!" The older man's hands snapped into fists at his sides again as he screamed at Zoro.

Spitting blood and rubbing his cheek, Zoro purposely kept his distance before he answered his friend, this time ready to get jumped on when he answered him. "Yeah, I took him there. Why wouldn't I? He asked to go."

Ace let loose a roar of fury, hat flying back off his head as he leapt at Zoro, tackling him to the ground, swinging at him again. "Dammit Zoro! You are supposed to look out for him!"

"I was! I drove him this time!" The green haired man threw his arms up over his face, but the freckled man shifted the punch, grinding his knuckles into Zoro's ribs sharply. He sucked in a breath with a hiss as Ace leaned over him, teeth gritted as he growled out each word.

"Go. Get. Him." He paused, searching Zoro's wide eyes. It was rare that Ace got upset, but when he did, you didn't want to be on the receiving end of it. Both of the brother's packed quite a punch. The only difference...Ace made the weight limit to enter the MMA...Luffy, well, he had the ferocity, but lacked the bulk. _"Now."_

"Alright!" Zoro yelped. "Let me up!"

Ace sat back on his knees, pulling his hat back onto his head as Zoro scrabbled to get away from him. Breathing hard, he got to his feet, looking to Ace, who was now looking off to the side. "I don't want to know what he does there...I already have a good idea." His voice had lost all it's harsh tones and was simply Ace again. "I...just bring him home Zoro."

Switching bikes forgotten, Zoro nodded quietly as he pulled his helmet back on and threw his leg over the bike.

* * *

Even at almost two in the morning, the bar that Zoro had dropped Luffy at earlier was lively and music thrummed through the air as he pulled into the bright parking lot, the neon signs lighting up everything, parking his bike near the door. A large broad guy crossed his arms as he stepped to up to the door. "What do you want?"

"I came to see Luffy." Zoro shifted his helmet under his arm, running his tongue across the side of his mouth. Ace had clocked him pretty hard.

The guy gave a grunt, but moved out of the way for Zoro to enter. "He's downstairs."

"Downstairs?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah, look for Three, he will show you."

"Three?"

"Look man I don't have time for your twenty question bullshit. Either you get your ass inside or you sit your happy little ass back on that bike and go home."

"Che...whatever." Zoro rolled his eyes and pushed through the door. The music was a million times louder inside and it went right through his brain as if bounced off the open walls. Off to the left side was a long row of slot machines and card tables, a three-fourths wall made of frosted glass separating that from the right side that actually consisted of the bar. It was a good thing too, the bright flashing lights were dulled just enough when you looked through the glass. Some girl, who he guessed worked there, handed him a beer, saying it was on the house with a wink before she wandered off.

It was cool in his hand and as much as he wanted it, Zoro set it on a table as he drifted towards the back of the building. A black metal door caught his eye, a small scrawny guy with glasses sitting on a stool next to it. He looked nervous and Zoro could only assume it had to be this Three guy. Walking up, the guy's eyes went wide as he saw Zoro and he clumsily stood up, fidgeting from one foot to the other. "You Three?" Zoro asked.

"Th-that depends." He said back and the racer could hear the shake in his voice. He couldn't help but wonder if it was because of him or if the guy always sounded like that.

"Dumb ass at the door told me to come find you. I am looking for Luffy."

"Strawhat!?" The guy almost squeaked as he stuffed a hand in his pocket, removing a set of keys with shaking hands. He paused as he was about to push the key into the lock, looking over his shoulder to Zoro, eyes narrowed. "You aren't Ace are you?"

"Do I look like Ace?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at the shorter man.

Three shrugged. "Don't know, never seen him, but I guess not. From what I am told, Ace and Strawhat look a lot alike." Stepping aside, he pushed the door open to let Zoro through. "Don't do anything stupid down there." He stated and closed the door with a locking click.

Zoro looked over his shoulder to the black door before turning to look down the dimly lit staircase. It seemed to circle back around under the building and he walked down it carefully, boots thunking off the concrete steps, thankful the music seemed to be silenced mostly, leaving just the underlying thrumming of the base. A second, unguarded door lay at the bottom of the stairs and the racer reached for the handle, pausing for just a moment. Was he really ready to cross that line into Luffy's after hours life? Mentally he shrugged, Zoro guessed he was, after all he had met the kid perching on the hood of Shanks' car at one of his street races. Seemed only fair.

Screams and yells that sounded like cheers and chants assaulted his ears as bright lights attacked his eyes and he closed them as the door clicked shut behind him in an attempt to adjust. No wonder the music was so loud upstairs, it needed to cover the commotion of what was going on down here. "Zoro?!" A voice called out to him and he turned to see Shanks walking up to him, beer in hand, a confused look on his face. "What the fuck are you doing here? Thought you went home." The older man lost his smile as he approached. "Holy hell, who hit you?!"

"Ace. That's why I'm here. Where's Luffy?"

Zoro didn't quite know why his question was so funny to Shanks, but it seemed to be as the red head threw his head back and laughed before swinging his head forwards to chug his beer. "Ah, Roronoa, you're a funny guy." He gave a breathy sigh as he shook his head. "He's in the Pit."

"The Pit?" Zoro asked confused. He fought the urge to back away as the gambler leaned into his space, slinging his arm around Zoro's shoulders, pointing with one finger deeper into the room where the crowd seemed to be gathered.

"Yeah, the Pit. Knowing the kid, he should just be about wrapping it up. Let's go watch." Arm still wrapped around his shoulders, Shanks led Zoro closer to the edge of the steel bar railing, throwing someone aside to make room for the two of them. Pushing Zoro forwards against the rail, Shanks finished off his beer, setting the bottle on the floor.

Below him was Luffy, sure enough, bare chested and his hat pulled low over his eyes. This pit, as it was called dropped about ten feet from where Zoro stood and was wide enough for two men to fight pretty actively in. Brown splotches littered the walls and floor, merging around a dark drain in the center of the floor. The younger man's chest was heaving, fists clenched at his sides, dark stare directed at the guy across from him. Zoro could see blood running down Luffy's cheek and he wiped at it with a fisted hand.

The other guy didn't seem much better though. He was covered in blood as well, dripping from a wound on his forehead, running down his nose to drip off his chin. He raised a hand and Zoro saw something flash in the light before he heard Luffy roar and lunge for the other guy. His right fist connected with the guy's jaw with a crack and the people lining the rail burst out into another uproar, the noise crashing down on Zoro. He felt sick as he watched this guy's blood splatter against the cement wall from where Luffy hit him, his whole body swinging to the side with the force of the lithe man's hit before he dropped to his knees and a third guy jumped into the hole as well.

This new comer, another large guy, waved Luffy off as he turned to the bleeding mass of what was left of that guy on the floor and with a sick grin, Luffy jumped his way up the ladder. Grabbing his hat, he hopped over the low gate, picking up his shirt and backpack that lay near by. "Luffy!" Zoro grabbed the rail in front of him, leaning over it as he yelled to the other man across the way. He turned at his name, catching sight of Zoro and his whole face lit up as he made his way towards him.

"Did you see?!" He happily bounced up to him, and upon noticing Shanks his grin grew wider. "Shanks! Did _you_ see?! That was the guy talking shit last week!"

Shanks grunted, grabbing Luffy by the chin and turning his head. "He got you good. That's gonna need stitches. You're lucky he didn't get your eye." The red head dropped his hand onto Luffy's shoulder. "Make sure to get that taken care of before you leave. And covered with tape or something. Ace is gonna be livid."

"Yep!" With a nod, Luffy bounded away again. Zoro watched in almost horror at the whole spectacle. He knew Luffy did some messed up shit, but underground fighting..._with Shanks!_ How much shit did that red head do anyways? And no wonder Ace was so adamant that Luffy not be here. Kid almost got his eye gouged out in that fight.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, shaking his head as he turned to Shanks. "I'm gonna go wait outside. Let Luffy know to hurry up."

He took a few steps before Shanks grabbed his wrist, stopping him with a pull of the arm. "Roronoa..." Snaking his arm into his jacket, he pulled out an envelope, smacking the thin edge into Zoro's open palm. "Got your cut done first tonight. Nice race. That guy actually thought he had you."

"That guy followed me home." Zoro narrowed his eyes as his fingers wrapped around the plain white paper. "I was waiting for a fight."

"Looks like you got one." Shanks jerked his chin towards the forming bruise on Zoro's cheek with a sneer. "I'm sure you could have handled it."

A chill went up the racer's spine at the look on the gambler's face. Something about this man never sat right with him and now actually seeing what Luffy was involved in here just made that feeling in his gut worse. "Luffy trusts you." He wasn't sure why he said it and Zoro watched as the older man's eyes narrowed and he let go of the envelope.

"I think a better question is: Do you trust me?"

"Not as far as I could throw you." Zoro narrowed his own gaze back, with a scowl.

Shanks let out a laugh and turned, looking back over his shoulder to the green haired man with a sneer. "Smart man." Then he was gone, blending into the crowd and disappearing.

Zoro made his way to the door, that sinking feeling still in his gut. He walked up the stairs and worked his way back out into the actual bar, giving Three a glare as he walked past and sat with a huff on his bike, fingers tapping against his helmet as he waited for Luffy. He wanted to get out of here and get out of here fast. Besides the typical flight reaction he had with Shanks, Zoro had this feeling he was being watched and he wanted to get out of here as soon as he could.

Luffy's laugh and the bang of the front door couldn't have come soon enough and with a wild excited cry from the strawhat wearing man, Zoro sped out of the parking lot, not even sure if his friend's ass was actually on the bike or not.


	7. Chapter 7

_**(Just wanted to say sorry for the delay and if this chapter isn't up to par with the rest. I had a death in the family this last week and writing has been very hard for me. Also wanted to say thank you for all the amazing comments! These are what keep encouraging me to write this!)**_

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"Zoro." Luffy's hand came down on his shoulder as he flew down the road. "Zoro!" The gym owner's grip tightened on his shoulder and his other hand appeared in his vision covered in blood. "Pull over!"

"What the fuck?!" The racer all but screeched the bike to a stop, hitting the kickstand and jumping off to turn to his friend, who's face was all covered in blood again, running off his chin and turning his red shirt a darker shade. With a flick of the visor, Zoro pulled off his helmet. "You're bleeding! Luffy!"

The younger man dropped his helmet to the dirt on the side of the road. "I think I pulled a couple stitches." Luffy frowned, digging into his backpack and pulling out a towel. "I must have done it pulling the helmet on. Shit. Ace is gonna kill me." Pressing the towel to his face, Luffy squinted up at Zoro. "Can I stay at your place tonight?"

"Well, yeah, sure. You can crash on the couch." Zoro said calmly, then jerked his head back, stomping a foot in the dirt. "What the hell am I saying?! You're _bleeding_. I'm taking you to the hospital." He pulled at his hair, snapping his arms out above his head as he spoke.

Luffy grabbed his arm, gripping hard. The man's eyes were cold and his voice was low. "Are you fucking insane? I can't go to the hospital. How the hell do you expect me to explain this away? I almost got stabbed in the eye Zoro. What do I tell them? I tripped?"

"I—" Zoro stopped, shaking his head. "Ugh. This is fucked up!" He spun in a small circle, hands going to his hips as the racer turned back to Luffy, who was wincing slightly as he dabbed at the cut with his towel. "I didn't realize this was what you did."

"What did you expect? How else would a twenty year old bum pay for all the cool shit I have?" He gave a grin, but immediately frowned. "Ow, that hurt."

"Uh, the gym." Zoro scooped up the red helmet, strapping it to the small rack on the back of the bike. "Good thing it's dark..." He grumbled as he worked.

Luffy chuckled a minute later. "The gym's not mine. Ace owns it. I make all my money from fighting. Always have. Been doing it that way for years. Hell, that's how we met."

"No," Zoro pointed at him, carefully stepping over the motorcycle as to not hit Luffy with his foot as he climbed on. "You were sitting on a car and I was racing."

"Oh yeah! Before you became Mister Demon Hunter." He snickered. "Fun times, fun times."

Zoro looked over his shoulder to Luffy, shoving his own helmet on, jarring his earrings. "Yeah, fun times." Flicking the visor down again, Zoro turned the key, thumbing in the override code of the bike.

"Oh, look; cops!" Luffy's voice was way too happy about seeing blue lights, the racer decided.

"What?!" Zoro jerked his head up to see several cop cars with their flashers on speeding down the road towards them. "Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!"

"Relax." Luffy watched as they sped by, swinging into the club. "Bet they are going to break up some bar fight. Happens a few times a month. Oh! Call Chopper!"

"Chopper?!" Zoro pulled back onto the road, weary of the cops and actually doing the speed limit...for once. "It's three in the morning, he's probably asleep."

"Naw, he worked the mid shift I guess. Just call." Luffy pulled the towel away from his face to inspect the blood on it, before pressing it back to his wound. "This is kinda cool."

"Ugh," Zoro rolled his eyes in his helmet, blinking as the blue lights from Caime turned back on and dimly lit everything around his head. "Caime," he spoke quietly. "Call. Chopper." A ringing sounded in his ears a moment later and after a couple rings there was a click.

"_Hello?"_

Chopper's voice sounded in his head and Zoro sucked in a breath. "Chopper! Where are you? I have Luffy. He's bleeding."

There was a moment of silence. _"He's what?! Oh my god! What happened?!"_

"Explain later. Where are you?" He couldn't help but chuckle at his friend. Chopper always did panic and over react to things.

* * *

Franky smirked as he watched a very groggy Zoro lean his cheek into his palm to only wince and shift with a sigh. "So," the blue haired man picked up his coffee cup, taking a sip as Zoro yawned, lazily keeping his eyes closed. "Care to explain why there is a body passed out on the couch in the living room and why half your face is bruised. Hell of a shiner. You ice that thing?"

Zoro shook his head, grunting out a single word. "Ace."

"Ace...Ace did all this?" Franky made a circular motion with his hand to include not only Zoro, but Luffy sound asleep in the other room. "The man who isn't even here?"

A yawn sounded from the living room followed by a sharp intake of breath and a low groan. "My face hurts," Luffy whined, shuffling his way into the kitchen and flopping into a chair. "Zoro." He whined at the racer, pouting while crossing his arms, dragging out the last 'o' in the other man's name.

Said man rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this."

"It's not all that different than you." The younger man scratched at his hair, voice somber. "You race illegally. I fight illegally." He shrugged, staring off at some point on the floor.

Franky went to open his mouth, but stopped as he stood up. Setting his coffee cup in the sink, he gripped the edge with both hands and sighed. "I don't know why I bother. You guys are going to do what you want anyways. Did Chopper fix you up Luffy?"

"Yep." He popped the 'p' with a nod. "He put this stuff on it so it didn't hurt when he restitched it."

"You guys are riding in the truck with me and all of us are going to the photo shoot today." The mechanic crossed his arms at the combined groan of the younger men as they both mumbled okay before they rose from the table, Zoro going to change clothes and Luffy to take a quick shower.

They returned with Luffy wearing one of Zoro's shirts as his had pretty much been ruined with all the blood that had gotten on it by the time they had met up with their little medical student friend. Quietly, they filed down to Franky's truck and no one spoke as they drove to the photo shoot. Once there though, Luffy jumped from the back seat, running off as he recognized some of the MMA fighters that were beginning to show up as well. Zoro continued to just glare out the window as Franky pulled into a parking spot. Shutting the truck off, the older man sighed. "What's going on Zoro?"

"Nothing." He grunted out, letting his head hit the window with a thump.

Franky hit the lock button on the truck and Zoro whipped around to face him. "Roronoa Zoro, I have known you and your sister for, what...six, eight years? I think I would know when you are upset. You have been off ever since your accident. And you also told me you stopped with the street racing. Now this morning I find you with a new bruise, Luffy, who you should have taken to the hospital by the way, not Chopper; and an envelope full of cash." Zoro's eyes widened slightly as Franky said this, but didn't speak. "Yeah," the mechanic continued. "I saw it. Kinda hard not to when you leave it on the table. Anyways," he sighed, leaving the sentence unsaid and waiting for Zoro to finally say something.

The young racer ran a hand through his hair, the short green spikes rippling against his hand as it moved and his hand came to settle on the nape of his neck. "What do you want me to say? That's the second time I have been in a wreck like that. The second time..." He stopped suddenly, baring his teeth in a snarl at the older man. "Then to top it all off, Kiri goes and decides to break up with me because of it. Which is the stupidest reason ever because he knew I raced when we met and...and..."

"And you're stressed? Break ups are hard man. Plus, you are probably reliving a lot of that shit from your sister aren't you?" Franky frowned, honest concern for his friend crossing his face. The last thing Zoro needed right now was a relapse into his darker days after his sister first died. He tried to hide it, but the green haired man was quite sensitive and could be, at times, emotionally driven. Now seemed to be one of these cases.

Zoro ignored the question. "I was followed home last night and I felt like someone was watching me at the bar too." He spoke quietly, as if someone was going to jump out from somewhere and listen in on what the two were saying. "I'm not doing anything illegal. Okay, well, I am. But nothing that really warrants being followed home. And I have that blonde that keeps appearing at the most random times."

"You have a big name, anything you do warrants being followed around. And what blonde?" Zoro just looked at Franky, raising an eyebrow at him. "Oh," Franky nodded slightly, dragging out the word as just which blonde the racer was talking about hit him. "_That _blonde."

"Yeah." He gave a quick nod, placing his hand on the door. Opening it, he placed one foot on the ground before stopping and turning back to the other man. "I don't know what to do about him. He wants to go on a date."

"The one night stand who you didn't think you were ever going to see again asked you out?" The tattooed man spoke slowly, watching for a reaction from Zoro. When all he got was a faint nod, Franky flicked his sunglasses to his forehead with a grin. "Dude! Go for it Bro! Not to get personal, but if you were as drunk as I was told and he is _still_ after you, then it can't hurt right?"

Zoro shrugged, finally leaving the truck and thunking his way into the building. The loud clamber that met him shocked him slightly as several people ran about with clip boards or cell-phones attached at the ear. Bright flashes told him where the cameras were and he heard a distant gleeful cry from a photographer. A high pitched voice called his name and he turned as a mass of pink latched onto his arm, Perona's large make-up coated eyes peering up at him with a slight pout on her face. "Get off me!" He barked, pushing her away.

"So not cute Zoro! You need to get changed! We were supposed to do our stuff first, but _someone_ was late! And you brought Luffy..." Turning her nose in the air, the other racer stomped her foot with a "hmph."

"Where'd he go anyways?" Zoro rolled his eyes and looked around the room, but couldn't find the strawhat wearing man anywhere. "Is Ace here?"

"Now _he's_ cute!" Perona squeaked but was shaking her head. "No, he's not. I'm not sure where he is. There are a lot of MMA here so I might have missed him." Hands on her hips, she tapped a booted foot at the other racer, tilting her head to the side. "You need to go get your racing suit on. Now that you are here I want to get the pictures taken!"

Hands came to his shoulder blades and Perona pushed Zoro through a crowd towards the small changing area that had been set up on the far side of the chaos that had been deemed at photography studio. He was almost pushed into some huge guy, who glared down at Zoro as he walked past. There was no way people like that could be allowed to fight in the MMA. Zoro knew he wasn't the biggest guy around, but he certainly wasn't some scrawny schmuck either...and _that_ guy had made him look like a scrawny schmuck.

Stumbling from actually being pushed, the racer turned to yell at the woman he called his racing partner only to have his outfit hit him in the face. "You better change fast!" She demanded, snapping the curtain shut. "Or I am coming in there to do it for you."

"Like hell you are! You come in here while I am changing Perona and I will kill you. Female or not." Zoro growled as he stripped off his shirt. The last thing he needed was for her to get more pictures to post to her fucked up little fan club. Nami was still snickering at him for the one she took last week, occasionally commenting on how that blue towel he had been wearing did wonders for his hair. Oh, someday he was going to get Nami back...he just didn't know when. Or how for that matter.

Sitting to untie his boots, he could still here Perona pacing back and forth as she sighed, no doubtedly rolling her eyes as she waited. "I'm a big boy," Zoro said pulling off one boot. "I can undress myself." There was another, more annoyed, sigh from Perona before he heard her groan. Raising an eyebrow as to why she would be doing that, Zoro then heard it. The telltale smacking of sandals on concrete.

"Zoro!" Oh, there was Luffy...speak of the devil himself.

"Yeah?" He didn't even think as he answered his friend. The curtain was flung aside as Luffy entered the small space, arms crossed as he came to stand in front of Zoro who was slightly stunned, hands half way to his remaining boot as he looked up at his friend. He caught a shocked look from Perona as the curtain fluttered back to place followed by a squeak and her boots clomping off. Heh...that'll teach her. Teach her what though he wasn't sure. "Yes Luffy?"

Luffy frowned down at him and Zoro really was trying to keep patient with his long time friend as the other man seemed to just stare at him. He stared back with a frown of his own. The dark eyes seemed distant almost before the telltale spark appeared, but the frown remained. "Ace called." The younger man's voice had that serious edge to it and even though Zoro continued to undress, unphased by Luffy's presence, he did have enough sense to turn to look at him over his shoulder as he dropped his pants. Luffy took this as a go ahead to continue. "His sleep test is tonight."

"That explains why he was up so late last night. I take it that doctor, what was his name?"

"Law."

"Yeah, Law. Law wanted him up for a whole day again? I don't see why his tests need to be so extensive." Zoro spoke as he pulled on the one piece racing jumper, zipping it up easily and stepping back into his boots. "Although Ace told me the other day he has a TBI. Why didn't you ever tell me that?"

"I don't want to believe my brother can get hurt..." Luffy mumbled and Zoro did turn at this to stare at his friend as Luffy pulled the hat down over his face. The two had been through a lot of shit, but the only time he had ever seen Luffy freak out and go absolutely nuts had been the year before when Ace had gotten hurt.

The punch had come from the back and side after the bell had been rung. A pissed off sore loser who got a lucky hit in and knocked Ace clean off his feet for quite some time. Luffy had all but jumped over the fence of the ring and Zoro had had to physically pin him to the floor to get him to sit still long enough to let the paramedics do their job. He didn't even bother with yelling at Luffy to wear his helmet as the two flew behind the ambulance on his bike to the hospital where the younger brother barked and swore at any poor nurse or doctor that came with in range. This was after he almost got kicked out for calling out to his brother as he ran down the halls of the emergency room.

At first no one really paid attention to the fact that once home Ace would randomly all asleep. He had been in the hospital, after all. Who ever really slept there? So him saying he was tired all the time hadn't been all that out of place. It had been in the middle of dinner one night, everyone gathered around Franky's little table, with Ace explaining how he just didn't feel like he could get over this tired feeling, that gave everyone a heads up to something being wrong. Right in the middle of a sentence, mouth full of food that was typical Ace style, he had fallen asleep, head dipping forwards, hair dangling in his plate. Everyone had laughed, thinking it some big joke, but when he had started snoring, then suddenly jerked awake to continue where he had left off without pause; they knew something was up.

It had been the last he had heard about it though until Ace had said something to him the other day. Zoro was by no means aware that the MMA fighter's career was hanging in the balance, nor had Luffy let on that it could have been. This all made sense though.

In fact, Luffy's fighting made sense now as well.

"Luffy," Zoro said quietly, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over this. At least he's alive."

Luffy jerked from Zoro, the older man's words hitting him roughly. Zoro hadn't meant it that way. He had never felt jealous of the fact that anyone still had family where he didn't. He was simply implying to him that it could have been worse. "I wish I had known her better." He said quietly.

"She really liked you." Zoro said back, sliding a hand through the curtain to push it aside. "I gotta go now before Perona tries to kill me. Just come out when you are ready okay?" Zoro gave a small smile, not quite knowing what else to do. When Luffy got like this, not even food could bring him back. And everyone knew how much Luffy loved to eat. "Ace will be okay." The racer saw the small jerky nod the man gave as he exited the small changing room.

Somehow, and it may have just been in his head, the noise of the room grew louder once back on this side of the small changing room and Zoro just wanted to duck back in there with Luffy and pretend he had gotten lost. Instead, Franky saw him and was standing with him before he had a chance to run. And he very much wanted to run. Run far too. In fact Zoro wondered how far he could get on foot before Franky...well okay, Perona, would have the cops out after him to bring him back so she could get all her cute pictures. Oh man...he said it. Now he was beginning to think like her...he needed a drink.

"I want to introduce you to someone." Franky was saying. "I met her the other night at the banquet. Guess she is a manager for some of the MMA fighters, including Luffy's buddy there."

"Luffy?" Zoro asked, not really paying attention to his surroundings as the woman Ace had told him was Nico Robin walked up to stand near Franky. She was dressed in form fitting white jeans with a purple T-shirt and a white cowboy hat. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief and for whatever reason Zoro just wanted to bare his teeth and hiss at her like a cat. Mentally shaking his head, he bobbed it instead in a greeting. "Miss Nico."

"Oh, you know my name? I have not had the pleasure before now. Although, I must say, I know exactly who you are Roronoa Zoro." Her slight smirk held something that Zoro really didn't like, but he swallowed the feeling for a small smile. "You have quite the career."

"Yeah, my name is kinda all over the place. You can thank this guy." He gave Franky a smack on the arm, that although looked harmless and playful, the mechanic would know was anything but.

"How are you feeling? Well? I happened to be at the race when your accident occurred. It was certainly quite a show you put on for us."

Show? What the fuck was wrong with this woman? Morbid and creepy. For once in his life, and the thought made him sick, Zoro was hoping Perona would appear and drag him away... "So, who are you here with today?"

"Hm?" Robin turned her gaze from the crowd back to Zoro and the racer could feel a chill run up his spine. "Oh, I came to inform the photographers that my kick boxer would not be attending today's shoot as he had an emergency that needed his attention this morning. I also happen to work closely with the heavy weight champion."

"You know Jinbe?" Luffy appeared at Zoro's side, his hat back at the rightful tilt on his head, showing his eyes. His voice was still slightly sad, but at the mention of his friend he began to perk up and go back to being good ole Luffy. "He comes to the gym all the time! I always try to spare with him, but he tells me no." He crossed his arms with a pout. "Wish he would though."

"Dear me," Robin said with a giggle behind her hand. "You must be Luffy. Jinbe talks about you quite frequently. And I must say, you look just as he described."

"Jinbe talks about me?! What's he say?!" Luffy bounced on his toes, excitement washing over him and Zoro couldn't have been happier for a couple reasons. It got the creepy lady off the topic of him and it was good to see that Luffy had once again bounced back to being himself.

"I'm gonna go. I have work to try and accomplish." Zoro jerked a thumb towards where the numerous flashes were coming from and bid his goodbyes to everyone around him before he walked off, not without noticing Nico Robin watching him go. What had she meant about knowing exactly who he was? She was just weird.

Carefully he stepped around some guy who was yapping away into his phone, stomping his foot and holding a clipboard against his hip, angrily yelling to some poor soul on the other end. Oh shit...phone! His phone was still in his pants in the little changing area. Doubling back the way he came, Zoro slipped past the three still conversing and picked up his clothes, bunching them under his arm after he pulled his phone from his pants pocket.

One mission down, one to go. Escape from Perona. He really didn't want to do these pictures. It was the same every year... "Zoro!"

Ah crap.

"Yeah?" Turning, a now giggling pink haired brat ran up to him, tugging on his arm. Why he let her do this to him, Zoro really didn't know, but he did and well, fuck. With a groan, he let her lead him through the raging throng of people by the elbow till she came to a stop just on the far side of the photographers. Instantly, she turned from him, still hanging on to his arm in a death grip, as she spoke to some other moron with a clip board. Did everyone have a clip board? Could he get one? Where could he get one? Then he might be able to get away from the she-devil.

Thoughts wandering on different methods of escape, Zoro let his eyes wander as well. The photographers had set up a kind of room, with a large curtain backdrop and a type of brought in flooring. Lights were every where and even standing off to the side, he was getting hot from all the heat they were producing. He watched quietly, tuning out Perona and the other person, as some MMA guy, who Zoro knew as a jerk named Hody, came strutting out towards the bike that was standing in the center of the makeshift flooring. Shuusui. His bike.

Dropping his clothes, a growl escaped him and it was enough for Perona to let go as he stalked a tad closer, not wanting to interfere till the jerk touched his precious bike. He had made that mistake the year before and had been kicked out by the "artist" as the idiot with the camera had called himself. After the black eye, he didn't come back and Zoro wasn't allowed near the building for a while...worked for him.

Hody circled his bike like a damned shark, taking his time as he slowly walked around it. He ran his hand over the seat and Zoro narrowed his eyes, daring the fighter to do exactly what he did next. A whine actually escaped as the racer watched the suspension lower painfully close to the tires as the brute sat on his baby. Shuusui was meant for light weights. Not close to four hundred pounds of solid muscle! He was moving before he even knew what he was doing. Taking long strides up to the bike and into Hody's face. With a low growl, he spoke through clenched teeth. "Get. Off. My. Bike."

There was a second of pause where the only noises heard where the continuation of the camera clicking and soft murmurs of the new photographers. So far no one had yelled at him. In fact he was pretty sure the purple-haired freak with the camera had said to keep going. Fine by him.

The larger man laughed, grabbing Zoro by the collar of his race jumper, leaning back into his face. "Gonna make me you little punk."

"Wanna bet?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, not even giving it a second thought that this guy was probably twice his own weight and did fight for a living. Well he worked out with Ace and moved motorcycles all damned day...close enough. Shifting his foot just slightly to change his balance, Zoro didn't hesitate to pull back and swing his left fist right into the guy's cocky little smirk, catching him completely off guard.

Hody moved with the hit, turning his face and leaning to the side as Zoro finished his swing. He recovered quickly knowing the larger man held his shirt in his fist still. The green haired man had also assumed that the fist that held him was his dominant hand...who wouldn't threaten with that one anyways? A collective gasp came from everyone around, the cameras stopping for just a second before a loud "Hee Haw" sounded followed by an excited cry of "Oh, candies, keep going! You are doing fabulous! I love it!"

Who the fuck was this crazy photographer anyways?

Hody's grip tightened around Zoro's neck as he began to laugh, low and throaty, before it turned in to a loud out roar as he threw his head back, dabbing at the small bit of blood from the cracked lip Zoro had managed to give him. Then he stood up and single-handedly hauled the racer off his feet by his jumper. Both of Zoro's hands flew to the guy's wrist to support his own weight, but with his toes brushing the ground, there wasn't much else he could do but kick. A knee connected with the MMA fighter's free hand and gripped tightly. Well, fuck, if he wasn't screwed now. Zoro could just hear Nami now..._Roronoa Zoro, you dumb ass._

Yep. That would sum it up pretty good. He jerked about, trying to loosen the grip Hody had on his shirt, bringing his free leg up to kick at him, which even at this distance, the man dodged easily. Okay, maybe taking on an MMA heavy weight had been a bad idea, but hey, he was Roronoa fucking Zoro right? Mister bad ass himself. If he didn't at least try to keep up the image, what would his friends say? Besides his bike was at risk here. People would understand...wouldn't they?

A blur of yellow and a loud smacking sound assaulted Zoro's ears accompanied by a loud "Let him go!" and Zoro fell to the ground again, catching himself as Luffy landed near by, standing up and jumping back to stand besides Zoro faster than he had ever seen the guy move before. Jinbe was there as well, standing between Hody and them. Not that Zoro liked having to be rescued, in fact, he really didn't like the idea at all, but it had been Luffy, so he could let it slide...this time.

Zoro saw the fighter spit blood and glare past the middle man to Luffy, who was now standing to his full height, arms crossed. He gave a large grin and chuckled. "Don't mess with my nakama Hody."

"You little punk!" Hody yelled back at him as he lunged forwards where Jinbe caught hold of him in an attempt to calm him down. The champion fighter got the other turned around and was pushing him out towards the front forcefully telling him he needed to go outside and calm down. He wasn't even listening to the fact that Hody was saying the racer started it.

"Oh candies! That was beautiful! Simply marvelous!" The mass of curly purple hair popped into Zoro's line of sight, distracting him from the angry fighter. He was pretty sure his heart stopped as the face that was almost touching his was an array of colors that belonged on crayons, not people's faces. "Roronoa Zoro I assume."

"Uh...yeah." The man about ripped his arm off in a hand shake then turned to Luffy. Zoro shook out his hand as Perona jumped up on his shoulders wrapping her arms around his neck from behind and toppling the two of them over onto the ground in a heap. She sat up, pushing him off her clicking her tongue at him.

"You weren't supposed to fall Zoro. That's so not cute!" Flicking her hand out, she smacked him on the shoulder. "Why are you fighting anyways? Don't you know who that was?"

"Did you see what his weight was doing to Shuusui?" he sat up, spitting the words at her.

Luffy crouched next to him as Zoro heard the photographer turn, yelling out orders to the others around him. "Ne, he's breaking for lunch I guess. He really liked our shots. He wants to use them."

"Oh, good." Zoro stood back up, brushing the dirt off himself as Perona jumped up next to them, hands on her hips. She simply glared at Zoro, tapping her foot as he ignored her in favor of getting the dirt off his ass. "What do you want now?"

"Apologize."

"For what? I didn't do anything." Zoro rolled his eyes to Luffy laughing. The younger man waved as he turned, claiming to head off to find food. Figured he would abandon him after the danger was gone. Oh, no more bad guys to fight, Luffy needs meat. Almost like some video game or something. Maybe that's what Usopp should make next. A video game based off Luffy's insane appetite. He would have to talk to the techie later.

"For ruining the photo shoot." That damn lip of hers stuck out as she widened her eyes in a puppy dog look.

"Ah, man, don't look at me like that. At least I didn't punch the photographer this year. Hell he enjoyed it." He was trying to make the whole altercation sound like a normal occurrence, which for him, it kinda was, but his partner wasn't buying it any. With a roll of her eyes and a sigh, she stormed off, pulling her phone from her pocket as she went. No doubt going to post some status about how un-cute he was, which in turn would blow up his phone with fan girl hate...such a pain in the ass.

Snatching at his clothes and still grumbling as he heard the first of the hate spam come from his phone, Zoro slipped out of the room into the wide and quiet hall. The only sound was his boots clunking off the tile as he walked towards the lobby of the Water Seven building. Well, he thought it was the lobby. He didn't ever remember passing by Paulie's office on his way there. Wait a second. Paulie's office would have keys. He needed those. Ducking back into the small room, cursing his phone as he went, Zoro closed the door behind him. Taking the moment to put his phone on silent, he approached the desk, pulling open drawers and looking for what he hoped was there.

Jackpot. On the third drawer he opened, Zoro found the extra key to the case to his bike. Tossing it in his hand, he exited the room and continued on his way. The racer had to stop once when his shirt fell to the floor, but he finally made it out to the lobby, his sister's bike directly before him, gleaming in the bright sun of the morning as it streamed in through the large glass windows of the front of the building.

Some one gasped, but Zoro paid no attention as he walked to the case and opened the lock, climbing up onto the black carpeting, tossing his clothes into the corner of the case. What he wouldn't give to ride this bike again. Fingers lightly brushing against the handlebars and tracing his way down towards the dark computer panel, the young racer knew damned well he could take this home if he really wanted to. It wouldn't take him long at all to steal the gas can from Franky's truck and get enough gas to get the Wado out of this place. They couldn't stop him if they wanted to. The racing bike was in his name, having never signed it over to the company.

They could take any other bike they wanted, but the Wado Ichimonji was his. His sister had left it to _him_ and no one was going to take it away. Some one paused just on the other side of the case, tilting their head and giving Zoro a confused look before a light seemed to dawn on them and they moved on, shaking their head. Though a bizarre sight, it wasn't uncommon for him to be in the case and most people just left him alone.

A knock came from behind him, and Zoro turned over his shoulder to see Paulie standing just beyond the cracked door, arms crossed. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be at the shoot?"

"Broke for lunch," Zoro commented as he shrugged and threw a leg over the bike, coming to rest lightly on the white seat. His right hand came up and gripped around the handle as he turned back towards Paulie slightly. "Think we can move this bike outta here sometime soon? I really just want to take it back to the Thousand Sunny. Maybe before this shoots over. The Yubashiri is down there now."

"I saw that." The security guard chewed on his lip, looking for a smoke as he talked. "I would have to talk to Iceberg since he's my boss, but it is your bike; correct?" He continued on when Zoro just nodded. "Well then, clear it with him and Franky and I will help you switch the bikes out before you bring everything home, okay?"

Zoro nodded and Paulie waved as he wandered off, commenting as to how Zoro needed to put his keys back in his desk where he found them before he went home. This made the green haired man grin for a moment before pulling his buzzing phone from his pocket. More hate mail from Perona's little fan club. Really, he should just have Usopp delete all those pages for him. It wasn't like he was ever on them anyways.

Closing his eyes, Zoro leaned back into the seat of the bike and just let the warmth of the sun wash over him as he began to let his mind wander. He could never take this bike out on the street, but perhaps they could take it to the track sometime when no one was around and he could just ride. Maybe Franky would finally let him work on repairing the Kitetsu. It seemed like whenever he wanted to start tearing the bike apart the mechanic had something for him to do. Or had some place to go, well, drag him off to. Cause, let's face it, the last thing Zoro really wanted was to be here doing a photo shoot. Hell he would even rather be near that stupid cook...

Sanji. That's what his name was. He had written it on the business card handed to him just the other morning. Zoro was pretty sure it was in his wallet still. He didn't remember taking it out. Glancing to his clothes, Franky's words came back to him. The man was right...what did he have to loose? If nothing else he could probably get laid again...and who in their right mind would say no to that?!

He hesitated though, something Zoro rarely did. Did he really want to call this man? This random guy who just appeared in his life and annoyed the hell out of him? What had he asked? One date? One sober night of conversation? Hell, he could handle that.

Sitting back on the bike after retrieving his wallet, Zoro pulled out the business card and set the wallet on the bike seat in front of him. Again some one passed by, slowing down to raise an eyebrow at him, but he ignored them in favor of dialing the number on the front of the card. Zoro took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He had no idea why he was nervous. There was no reason to be.

Someone picked up on the third ring. _"Thanks for calling the Baratie. This is Patty, what can I get you to fill your gut today?"_

What the hell? Zoro pulled the phone from his ear for a moment to look at it stupidly. He had dialed the right number right? Baratie? Didn't that blonde bastard say he owned a catering business called All Blue? That was the name of the card. _"Hello? Hey you there?"_

"Uh..." Zoro put the phone back to his ear as he heard a scuffle over the phone and a muffled grumble of something along the lines of 'this is why you don't answer the phone!'

A pause and then the intake of breath. _"Good morning! Thank you for calling the Baratie. My name is Sanji; how may I help you today?"_

"Cook?" Zoro asked confused tilting his head to the side despite the fact he knew the other man couldn't see him. "I think you gave me the wrong number."

The friendly tone dropped from the voice on the other end of the phone and suddenly Zoro regretted calling the man as the sarcasm leaked through the receiver. _"Well, marimo...this is a surprise indeed."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The conversation had been short, but by the time Zoro was hanging up he was ready to throw his phone and it took all he had to not chuck it at the glass in front of him. That blonde got on his every nerve, his smooth, husky voice alone made him grind his teeth in agitation and his smug know-it-all attitude had Zoro wanting to climb through the receiver and ring that long pale neck.

Yet.

And of course there was a yet. _Yet, he had called._ That was the yet. Zoro couldn't help it, as much as this blonde seemed to annoy him to no end, the racer _wanted _more. It was as if his body knew what it wanted, despite his brain disagreeing, and Zoro often found himself remembering that drunken night; once again, despite his brain reminding him it had only been a one night stand. His body and memory couldn't disagree more. And Roronoa Zoro couldn't explain why.

Franky raised an eyebrow at him as he sat banging his head off the window of the truck as they drove home that night. Zoro couldn't help but want to go see the cook with his cocky comebacks and sarcastic tone. Zoro could practically see the smirk on his face as they spoke. Why the hell did he want that? Why was he actively looking for someone who could torment him? Get under his skin like this blonde could and he didn't even really _know _him. Okay, well he did, physically at any rate, as his body would remind him often, but that was besides the point.

"Would you stop before you break my window?"

Zoro dropped his head against the window again causing Franky to cringe as the glass rattled. "Aren't you more concerned about me getting brain damage?"

"Oh, some one's snarky. That guy got to you...what'd you say his name was? Sanji? Besides, one has to have a brain before you can damage it." The mechanic grinned widely as he pulled into the parking lot of the Thousand Sunny, pulling into the space right outside the front doors. "When you guys having your little date anyways?"

"Shut up!" Zoro flung open the vehicle door, slamming it behind him, stalking up onto the sidewalk, crossing his arms as Franky climbed out of the truck, closing his door. "Sunday." He spat out at the other man. Franky simply raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and unlocking the front door to the dealership.

The rest of the evening had been spent in grumbles from the green haired man as he wracked his brain on whether or not that had in fact been a good decision or not. Normally he was so sure of his choices, but this...this _Sanji_ character was throwing him a curve ball. _Had_ thrown him a curve ball when he was drunk. In no way had he expected those small fleeting moments of actual affection from the other man. It was random and seemed out of character from what he had learned since then.

But the blonde bartender had seemed almost upset when Zoro shrugged him off about the date at first; holding the business card up with a sad look, then walking away in accepted defeat. So...why had he called the other man? Pity? But on who's behalf? His own or the blonde's? With a growl, Zoro rolled over in his bed, glaring at the dark wall. This was getting him no where. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself and his chaotic thinking.

It was a date. That was all. He could handle that. Hell he had done this date thing before. A few times if he remembered right and in one sense they had already gone on a date...right? Did a one night stand count? Although, did it count as a one night stand if the guy stalked you after wards? Zoro sat up sharply. "Holy cow! I have a stalker!" Flipping the covers off his bed, he got up and slammed open the door to Franky's room blurting out the phrase for the other man to hear.

Franky sighed. "Go to sleep Zoro. It's just a date. Hell he's even willing to cook for me. What kind of person cooks extra food for his date's roommate, I have no clue. But, whatever, free food for me." He shrugged. "Now, get out of my room."

"But," Zoro started, a sad little pout on his face. "Stalker...Franky." The green haired man blinked as he realized his voice came out with a slight whine.

"Zoro." Franky turned slightly, looking over at the numbers of his alarm clock, voice firm. "It's tomorrow already. Jeez man, get some sleep. You have till Sunday to back out."

Zoro snorted, jerking his head back and down slightly as he did so. "I'm not backing out. I'm just...anxious."

The mechanic sighed. "Good night, or should I say morning Zoro. Get out of my room before I kick you out of this place, locking the door to leave you to sleep on the couch downstairs."

"Fine," Defeated, Zoro turned, mumbling under his breath as he headed back towards his room. "It's my couch anyways..."

* * *

Thursday proved to be a packed day. More pictures at Water Seven, thankfully this time, just him and Perona. This year Iceberg had wanted photos of the two of them together, standing back to back, arms crossed as they glared at the camera. Not that Zoro was ever truly thankful to be getting pictures taken with Perona, but if it meant he didn't have to get into another fight with some MMA fighter trying to break his bike, than it was a win in Zoro's book. Okay, a tie. Anything that had to do with Perona really couldn't be counted as a win either.

The photographer, who Zoro learned went by the name Ivankov, had really pissed him off by the end of the day, as he kept referring to the racer as candy-boy. What in the hell did that even mean anyways?! The young racer was annoyed to such an extent that when Luffy called to see if he could get a ride to that bar again, he had more than jumped at the chance and had even willingly accepted his friend's offer to stay and watch.

Three wasted no time jumping off his stool as the two walked up to him, mumbling under his breath about how great it was to see Strawhat Luffy again. The man just grinned at the glasses wearing door guard and made his way down the stairs, sandals clacking quietly as he went. "How many nights a week do you do this? Luffy?"

Rubbing at his cheek, right under Chopper's master stitch work, Luffy spoke quietly. "Usually two or three times a week. But I have been known to do it more. Depends if someone backs out of a fight. Shanks calls me if that happens."

"And tonight?" Zoro placed his hand on the door to catch it as Luffy walked into the quiet underground ring. The place looked mach bigger when no one was in here and Zoro couldn't help but take a moment of pause to look around. It was just as it seemed. A large square room with a huge pit in the center of it. A chain link railing with a pipe top rounded the ring, coming to just about Zoro's waist if he remembered from being shoved against it Tuesday. Off to one side, high in the wall was a glassless window, a row of chairs sitting nicely behind it. He couldn't image what that was for and he really didn't want to either.

"Some guy backed out." Luffy set his backpack down roughly where Zoro had seen him pick it up the other night and begin a series of stretches. "So Shanks called me and I called you."

"Who you fighting that made the other guy back out?"

"Some big shot from another city who is here visiting." Shanks' voice rang out from the door right near Zoro and the two turned to look at him as the red haired man walked right up to Luffy, grabbing him by the chin and turning his head to look at the cut. "Got that done right. You go to the hospital for that?"

"No," Luffy pulled away, but still had a huge grin on his face. What exactly the other man saw in Shanks, Zoro would never know, but there was obviously a lot of history there that he didn't know either. "Where is the guy? I wanna see him before I kick his ass."

"Easy killer," Shanks said with a laugh, finally turning towards Zoro. "And what do I owe this pleasure Roronoa?"

"I'm just here to give Luffy a ride." Zoro stated coldly, crossing his arms.

"Too bad." The booky laughed again as small groups of people began to file into the room. At one point, as Luffy and Zoro stood talking after Shanks had wandered away, he could have sworn he heard his name whispered under hushed tones, but then, again, that really wouldn't be too surprising.

Shanks voice rang out again from speakers littered around the room once the place was packed. Somehow the racer had ended up with a beer in his hand and was going to say no to it before saying the hell with it and twisting off the cap. "I'm sure some of you have seen Strawhat lurking about tonight. Well I am here to inform you that he is filling in for the new guy who backed out once he heard the name of the fighter he was against. Well, I can assure you Luffy won't do that."

"Nope," Luffy shook his head from next to Zoro, who had to laugh before bringing the bottle to his lips. It wasn't the best beer in the world, in fact it was pretty shitty and he would by no means even really get a buzz off it, but it had been free and Roronoa Zoro _never_ turned down free booze. Okay, he rarely turned down free booze.

"So, without further delay, let's get this started!" The crowd that had gathered went wild at Shanks' words as Luffy slammed his hat on Zoro's head and jumped the rail into the ring, easily landing the fourteen foot fall, if you included the rail and the height he had to clear before the ten foot drop to the blood stained floor below. "Our local boy who needs no introduction. May I hear a round of applause for our rising star, Strawhat Luffy!"

The roar of the crowd as Luffy threw his arms in the air, hands balled into fists with a cry of his own was deafening and a ringing started in Zoro's ears before Shanks' voice came over the speakers again. Looking around, the racer found him in that open windowed area from before and with everyone in here now, it looked like the red haired man would have a good view of the fight. He wasn't alone though and even though Zoro had never seen the other man, he somehow knew it was the bar's owner. Some man named Crocodile. He offered a cigar to the gambler as he sat cross-legged in the chair, looking rather bored with this whole thing.

"Luffy's fight tonight is against someone from out of town," Zoro turned back to the ring as a hushed silence fell about the room. From the ring, Luffy crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly to listen to the introduction. "Known as the Berserker in his home ring, he had driven several hours to come to us tonight. He's a hard hitter, never giving his opponent a chance to attack unless he deems it so. From a small bar named Sky Island, I give you Wiper!"

Another roar went up, but not as loud as it had for Luffy and off to his side, Zoro heard two guys scoff about how this guy had no idea what he was in for. That Strawhat could take quite a beating and keep coming back for more. Zoro had to agree, that did sound like Luffy. The racer was beginning to see the appeal for Luffy in all this. Here no one smirked at him and told him he didn't make the weight limit to fight. Here everyone cheered him on, not that that was his reason for doing this, and he was making just as big a name for himself as his brother was. Above ground everyone knew Fistfist Ace, underground everyone knew Strawhat Luffy. He could see his friend now, giving a shrug, saying how all he wanted to do was have fun and get into a good fight once in a while.

He watched as a man approached the ladder on the far side of the ring and climb down it quickly, turning to face Luffy.

This man, this Wiper, could give him one; Zoro was sure of it. He was a few inches taller than Luffy was and packed with muscle similar to Zoro himself, his dark skin covered in elaborate tattoos down one arm and over the eye on the same side. A mohawk that ended in a long braid hung to his waist, just above the pant line to the cut off shorts he wore. He cracked his neck, tilting his head to one side then the other before rolling his shoulders and shaking out his hands as he bounced on his toes.

Adjusting the hat on his head and gripping the iron railing with his free hand, Zoro allowed himself to get caught up in the roaring crowd, beer bottle raised in his left hand as he yelled with everyone else as some one yelled to start the fight and the two men below circled each other for a long moment before with a crack of his knuckles, Luffy dove in for the first hit.

With an easy dodge, Wiper moved aside, turning as he did so in an attempt to land a hit of his own. Zoro could see the shock written on his face as somehow, and unnaturally Zoro might add, Luffy ducked the coming attack, jumping away himself and rounding back in before his rival could attack, nicking him in the jaw as the tattooed man dodged at the last second possible. "I gotta say," Zoro could barely hear the exchanged conversation taking place right below him over the bellows of the crowd. "I have heard about you, but never expected to be fighting you Strawhat."

Luffy gave a grunt in return. "Can't say the same." Then with a nod and a deep breath, the dark haired kid pushed off with his toes, meeting Wiper's next attack head on with a counter of his own.

Zoro's excitement at the fight died down rather quickly though when he got that same feeling of someone watching him as he had the other night. At first he thought it might have been the gambler, but when he turned to the large box window, Shanks was leaned over near Crocodile and the two's eyes were pinned on the fight as they conversed quietly.

The green haired racer's eyes then scanned the crowd. No one he knew stuck out to him, yet from where he was and the amount of smoke lingering in the air, it was hard for him to see across the pit now, so if someone was in the far corners of room, he wouldn't have a clue who it was. Somehow it felt familiar, but Zoro simply chalked it up to the fact that he had felt the same thing the other time as well. Could have been some one who watched his races, trying to figure out why a motorcycle racer would be coming to an underground fight.

Either way, it still sent a chill up his spine and caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle and stand up. Emptying the bottle, he knelt and set it on the floor, hoping the changed angle might give him a better view of the other side of the ring if he could duck under the smoke layer. No such luck, if anything it made it worse. With a frown he stood again, eyes scanning the screaming and roaring crowd one last time before his eyes dragged back to the blur of red in the ring that was Luffy.

By the time Zoro came to the conclusion he really didn't care either way, the crowd was going wild again, Luffy climbing from the pit and grabbing his backpack as he made his way towards him and his hat. With a grin, the fighter plucked it off Zoro's head, smacking it down back on his own head with his tell-tale "hehe" laugh. "That was fun!" He bounced on his toes excitedly. "Fought clean too, that's actually kinda rare here, ya know?"

"Not really," Zoro shook his head. "You ready to go? I got this feeling someone is watching me and I'm ready to get the hell outta here."

"Yeah," Luffy gave a quick and short nod. "Let's go. Ace should be home now too. Wanna stay?" As he spoke, the fighter pulled his phone from his backpack and pressed a button, flicking to his messages to, in fact, see one from Ace. "Oh," he said after a moment. "Guess Law wants to do an at home test as well. So he will be there too. It will be like a party! A party to keep Ace up tonight!"

"I thought the whole point was for Ace to sleep?" Zoro asked as the two climbed the stairs, once again, scaring the hell out of Three as they walked by. Okay, that part Zoro could get used to. If coming here meant he could intimidate this guy by simply existing, he was okay with that.

"I don't know, let me call him." Luffy flicked across some screens till his brother's name and picture came up and he pressed the green call button. After a couple rings, Luffy grinned as Zoro picked up his helmet off his bike. "Yeah! Ace! Zoro's got a question for you..." He wandered off a little ways and Zoro lost track of the conversation. Not that he was trying to ease drop on it anyways, but there were never truly any secrets with Luffy really.

Speaking of that, he hadn't mentioned to Luffy that he was planning on a date with the blonde on Sunday. In fact, besides Franky, Zoro hadn't told anyone. Usopp probably knew by now, but that was because the racer had spoken to Kaya about actually getting a _real_ dress shirt, not one of Franky's buttoned collared shirts, and he was pretty sure she would have said something to her husband. Not that Zoro really minded if Usopp knew, his bug sniping buddy wouldn't say much.

Pulling his helmet on, Zoro climbed onto the yellow substitute bike he was riding tonight, the Shuusui still being at Water Seven and started it up, backing out of the spot he had parked in, catching Luffy walking towards him out of the corner of his vision. The black haired man climbed onto the bike behind him, carefully pulling his red helmet on, lightly smacking Zoro on the shoulder a couple times to let him know he was ready. "Law wants to keep him up till Ace passes out I guess," he spoke loudly over the rumble of the bike's engine as Zoro started to make his way out of the parking lot. "Has some new medication he wants to put him on, but Law doesn't want to start it till he pushes Ace to his absolute limit."

"What the hell kinda doctor is this guy anyways?" Zoro shot back, hanging a left from the parking lot and starting back towards the city. In his ears, Caime would occasionally make a remark about his direction. Like Zoro didn't know how to get to the apartment that Ace and Luffy shared anyways. Like he hadn't been there a million times over the last several years...

Luffy's reply was lost on him though as he twisted his wrist on the throttle, gunning the bike down the open road as fast as he dared at one in the morning on a week night. When the two pulled into the parking lot of the gym, Luffy jumped off the bike and ran for the apartment building on the other side of the parking lot before Zoro could even get the motorcycle parked, let alone shut off, and was racing for the building. "Oi!" The green haired man called after him. "Wait up! Luffy!"

He caught him at the elevator, the younger man grinning from ear to ear. "Law's not that bad once you get to know him, really. Him and Ace fought a little bit during Law's last year of school. They are the extremes of the same weight class if you can believe it. Although, Law has slimmed down a bit now, not so bulked like Ace is." Luffy rambled on during their ride and Zoro only half listened, thinking more about his meeting with Kaya and most likely Usopp to get his shirt.

Something was telling him to get a blue one, but Zoro wasn't sure if it was possible with his hair. He could just see the pair doing their artistic mumbo-jumbo on him now. Kaya would shake her head and sigh, while Usopp would have his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, thumb held out, eye squinted shut as he gauged some...something! Zoro had no idea what the two were even doing when they did that, but then they would throw out colors as they mumbled back and forth and come up with something really good.

The elevator pinged and Luffy shot out as soon as the doors opened, running down the hall as he pulled some keys from his backpack. With a knock, he pushed open the door and Zoro could hear Ace from the other side of the door ask where he was. He sounded really happy, even with the slight slur from lack of sleep. If the racer was putting things together right, Ace probably had only gotten a little sleep Wednesday during the test he had done at the hospital after the MMA fighter had punched him late Tuesday night.

"Oh, wow," Zoro closed the door behind him, kicking off his boots as Ace's voice sounded near by. "I got you good man."

"You came from no where and punched me in the face Ace." Zoro frowned, his scowl only deepening as the crazy doctor poked his head around the corner with a scowl of his own.

"That's quite the bruise Ace-ya. Did you break anything?" Without even asking, Law walked up to Zoro and grabbed onto his jaw, turning the racer's head slightly and tilting it forwards to get a look at the black eye he was sporting. With his free hand, he poked at it with two fingers, running them over the edge of his eye socket and around up to his eyebrow. Zoro pulled away upon hearing the low chuckle from Ace. Law simply shrugged. "Zoro-ya, right? Nothing seems broken. The swelling had gone down and the blood seems to have pooled for a normal black eye. If it doesn't heal right, call me ya?"

"Yeah, whatever." Rolling his eyes, Zoro shouldered his way past Law, heading for the kitchen. "You have any beer? I'm tired. I want a drink and then a nap. I have to go dress shirt shopping with Kaya Friday afternoon."

"Kaya?" Luffy popped his head over the fridge door, mouth full of food. Zoro picked a beer out from over him with a nod. "Why Kaya?"

Twisting the cap off, the racer tossed it in the trash and leaned back on the counter as Law and Ace sat at the table and apparently resumed the game of cards they had been playing. The crazy MMA doctor shifted his hat he was wearing before picking two cards and throwing them down and picking up two more. Ace sighed, then did something similar. "Isn't that Usopp's wife?" The actual gym owner asked before slamming his cards down. "Ha! So there Law!"

"Uh, those are threes, not eights, Ace-ya." Law shook his head. "Can you still see? Blurred vision at all?" The doctor stood, leaning over the table and began to just man handle the fighter, lifting at his eye lids with his thumbs without even asking Ace if he could. "Hmm, pupils still look good."

"I have been up, for what? Two days? Three days? Can I sleep yet?" Shaking the doctor off, Ace frowned, turning towards Zoro. "Answers Zoro. Why a dress shirt? Why Kaya?"

Zoro downed the beer. It still wasn't what he really wanted, but it was better than what he had drank at the bar and between that and the fact it was two in the morning, he was beginning to feel the pull on his eye lids and yawned once before answering. Opening the frig door, he grabbed a second beer, catching the raised eyebrow from the doctor. He must have known that Ace was the only one legal age to be drinking here as he gaze shifted to the freckled man at the table. "I have a date Sunday."

Ace Portgas fell out of his chair. The three remaining awake were all by him instantly and Law pulled him onto his back as the first snore left his mouth. Luffy stuffed half an apple into his mouth as he watched the doctor run through a small series of tests on his sleeping brother, mumbling under his breath. "Huh, well all it takes is that huh?"

Zoro on the other hand was on the verge of freaking out. He had seen Ace do this before, but never because of something he had said. He babbled for a moment, not really making any sense as he spoke before shaking his head and swallowing a couple mouthfuls of his new beer as Law looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "I take it Zoro-ya, you do not go on dates very often, ya?"

Zoro simply shook his head. He wasn't sure he was able to trust himself to speak right now. Luffy laughed as he and Law began to pick his brother up off the floor and head for the couch. "So I was right?" The younger brother said quietly.

"Yes, Straw-ya. I think he has always had narcolepsy, but that hit last year just triggered it enough to really become apparent. Also people can develop it as late as twenty-five." Zoro followed them into the living room, where the tattooed doctor gave a small grunt as he lowered the larger man onto the couch, Ace's loud snores his own part of the conversation around him. "We have some medication we can give him and you two will have to make some adjustments to your eating habits..."

"Ah, man..." Luffy pouted and crossed his arms as he flopped down onto the couch next to his older brother. He leaned over and poked him in the temple a couple times before pulling the cowboy hat back onto his snoring brother's head. "Stupid Ace." He grumbled as he did so.

The doctor's low voice kept drawling on over Luffy though. "He exercises enough, but he will still have to take it easy this year in the ring till we can get this under control, ya. I will make sure to contact the appropriate people in the morning and get Ace-ya his medications so we can start those soon as well. Halloween party might be out this year. It will depend on how he feels."

"A date?!" Ace sat bolt upright from his spot on the couch, staring confused at Law for a moment, before turning around to not only find Zoro but figure out where he was. "Why are we in the living room?"

"You had an episode," Law explained coolly as he sat on the coffee table, arms resting on his knees as the fingers of his hands rested against each other. "We brought you in here after you fell to the floor. Does anything hurt? Headache?"

"No, Law, I'm fine." Ace frowned, rubbing at his forehead slightly, eyes still on Zoro as he spoke. The freckles on his cheeks seemed to stand out slightly as the wicked grin formed on his face. "This happens a lot when I get really tired or really excited over something. Like Zoro, here, having a date. Is it with that guy you were telling me about? The one from the party you slept with?"

"Wait. What? Zoro! You never told me about that!" Luffy practicality yelled in the racer's ear and Zoro blinked as he leaned away from where he was standing at the edge of the couch, taking another swig from his beer.

"Unprotected sex can lead to a lot of really unwanted illnesses, ya." Law sneered as he looked over to Zoro, who had a shiver run down his spine. The guy still creeped him out, what with that leopard print hat and eyeliner. Man, really, _who_ did that? And now, _now,_ the creepy doctor was giving him tips on how not to get STDs? Really, what the fuck was that about? "I'm pretty sure I have some condoms in my medical bag if you would like them, ya, Zoro-ya?"

Ace snorted in a bad attempt to hold back his laughter. The racer shot him a glare, before the scowl he had aimed for the crazy doctor deepened. "No. Thanks, I'm good. I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself." He made sure his words dripped with sarcasm as Law simply watched him, straight faced from under the brim of his damned hat. "I'm going to bed," Zoro continued. "Luffy, I'm crashing on your bottom bunk." And with that he turned and walked down the hall, without even waiting for a comment from any of them. Ace's voice followed him down the hall though, followed by a low chuckle from Law, but Zoro slammed the door, enjoying the moment of silence he had before his friend would appear. Finishing off his beer, he set the empty bottle on Luffy's dresser and walked towards the bed.

Pulling off his shirt, Zoro flipped the covers aside before he fell back onto the small twin mattress in nothing more than his pants, arms behind his head as he toed one foot under the edge of the blanket. Taking a deep breath, the racer let it out slowly through his nose as he closed his eyes. He tried to clear his mind of everything and simply focus on the darkness of the room and the quiet around him, thankfully Luffy had, for the moment at least, decided to stay out there and talk with the others in the living room.

It was technically Friday now and he had nothing else to do except go with his friends to pick out a shirt for his date with Sanji on Sunday night. Unwanted, okay, not really unwanted...badly timed, mental movies began in Zoro's mind of his night with the blonde and his focused breathing went out the window. That pale skin and muscled body. The way he bit at his lip while he slammed himself down on Zoro as he tried to muffle his own sounds. The commanded dominance despite being the one to take...

A low groan escaped Zoro and he rolled onto his side to face the wall, all the blood in his body suddenly pounding in his groin. Normally he had better control over himself. It had to be because he was tired. And he was at Luffy and Ace's place! This was the last place he needed, or wanted, to get hard over sex memories. Not that he wouldn't mind making a few more of those with the blonde man.

Holy cow, what was he doing?! He had a ton more respect for his friends than this! Deep breaths, in and out. Throwing the blanket over his head, Zoro tried to focus on his breath warming the small area in front of his nose and not his half hard throbbing erection. Sunday. Two more days. Then he could repeat all this while sober. The cook must have thought him good while drunk to want to come back, wait till he showed him what he could do sober...

The mere thought had his cock twitching and Zoro slightly curling in on himself under the covers as he kept getting harder by the second. His self control was loosing the battle tonight, that was for sure and with each deep breath, the small shred of hope he still had, was making it worse. The way the blankets had wrapped around him bounced his own breath back at him and it pooled against his throat warmly. In his sleep deprived and slightly fuzzy state, all this accomplished was to further carry on his daydreaming.

The cook's breath on his neck that night came back and it sent a shiver through his body and Zoro found himself unbuttoning his pants, his left hand slipping past the zipper to trifle through green curls. Biting at his own lip to stop a groan, his eyes rolled as he thought of the blonde's face right before he had discovered that himself. The look of pure lust that had come over him in that moment was bliss to his drunken hazed mind; both then and now.

The racer sucked in a breath through clenched teeth as he palmed his hard on, trying to adjust himself in his pants, the touch rocketing pleasure through his body, his hips jerking slightly in a plea for more. Running his right hand down his chest, Zoro undid the zipper to his pants and pulled them down over his ass, freeing himself and his left hand easily. That felt so much better, the heat of the blanket over him, masking the normal shock from temperature change against his, now, heated skin. The thumb of his left hand passed over the head, feeling the wet of small traces of pre-cum. He could grab his shirt and rub one off quick and no one would know. Hell, Luffy said the shirt he borrowed the other day was clean, he could wear that in the morning. With all the mental movies playing through his head, it wouldn't take all that long anyways...

Hell, no. What was he thinking?! There was no way he could jerk off in Luffy's bed, right? Right. But this wasn't exactly Luffy's bed either...the kid did sleep in the top bunk after all.

Zoro's body seemed to have a plan of it's own though and as his left hand started at the base and slid up his length, he couldn't help the small gasped moan that got out and he turned his head into the pillow, his right hand gripping tightly to his jeans. Hips jerking slightly still, he repeated the process a few times. Slow and precise movements of his hand as the green haired man fell into an old and familiar rhythm. With each pull of his hand, Zoro's hips thrust with him and he be damned if images of that hot blonde riding him didn't front his array of images that unwillingly came to mind.

Forcing himself to pause, the racer turned slightly, right hand groping about on the floor for his shirt while his left hand held the tip of himself in his palm, thumb swirling through the growing mess of pre-cum, digging into his slit slightly at his own impatience at not being able to find the shirt. With a hiss, his back arced slightly and as fingers finally fell on the cooling fabric, Zoro started with more frantic pumps of his hand, tightening his grip as he did so.

What he wouldn't give right now to have that blonde under him again. Or on him. Whatever. What he wouldn't give to be inside that lithe cut form with his powerful legs holding him in place as he rocked himself along Zoro's length. He actually bit into the pillow as the moan tried to escape him, the familiar heat pooling in his gut as he worked his own erection, curled under the blanket in his friend's room.

Zoro didn't even care at this point. Couldn't wait for Sunday. Yeah, he owed the blonde sober conversation alright. He owed the blonde a lot of sober things. Zoro bit his lip hard as he thought about what he would do the next time to got the cook under him naked. Everything and anything to get the man to make those gorgeous noises again. He wanted to hear him let go, not hold back as Zoro blew him as distraction while he fucked him with his fingers. Or the way he arced his back when Zoro slid home the first couple thrusts, the muffled noises daring the racer to move faster, harder. The thought of this was enough to tip him over the edge and Zoro was barely coherent enough to get his shirt over himself as he gave a tight gripped pull, the heat in his gut brimming over. He came hard with a wordless gasp as he further curled in on himself, hips thrusting and jerking frantically for a moment before he was able to stretch his legs out and give a couple finished half-hearted pulls to himself.

His shirt was a mess, as was his hand and Zoro numbly cleaned himself as his eyelids grew heavy and he shifted in the bed again, pulling his pants back over his hips, tucking his softening cock back into his pants and balling the shirt before dropping it to the floor. With a content groan, the motorcycle racer shifted once more, settling into a more comfortable position before sleep finally took him, the blonde and what color shirt he was going to buy the last thoughts on his mind.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The smell of food brought Zoro out of his sleep, blinking a few times before staring at the blanket that was still over his head. Little spots of light littered the area right above his nose and eyes and Zoro couldn't help but think it kinda looked like stars. He had no idea what time it was, but he knew Luffy was up, his snores no where to be heard in the room. There was a slight pain in his back and it occurred to him he never took his phone out of his pocket as he reached for it from its place jammed in his spine. The screen lit up brightly and he blinked a couple times before the phone beeped letting him know it was almost dead.

Just after ten in the morning and no missed messages or anything. He still had time to get home, take a shower and get ready to meet with Kaya that afternoon. Shifting fully onto his back, Zoro buttoned his pants and got up, scratching at his chest as he made his way out of the room and down to the kitchen, bare feet padding quietly down the carpeted hall. Luffy was sitting in the corner bar stool at the counter, spinning lazily as he entered the room. "Zoro!" He said happily. "Morning! How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good actually," he sat in the chair next to him, picking up the container of orange juice and pouring some into the glass. It took him a second to realize it wasn't Ace, but Law cooking on the other side of the island as the other man's snores reached his ears. "Ace still asleep?"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded. "I fell asleep out there with him. I don't know what Law did." He stopped moving, grabbing a hold of the counter to stop himself as he reached for his own glass of juice. "He was in here cooking when I woke up."

"Some one had to start this for you guys, ya?" Law turned, almost dropping the plate he held as he stared at Zoro, who raised an eyebrow at the first real display of emotion he had seen from the doctor. The doctor fumbled over his words for a moment as he set the plate full of bacon down with a clink and Luffy tackled it with out concern of anyone else, easily pulling it towards where he sat.

Zoro jerked his head back slightly as the shameless staring of the doctor continued, his glass sliding across the counter, still gripped in his hand. "What?"

"You...that..." Law brought a hand out towards him and Zoro leaned back in his chair, but it wasn't far enough as the doctor's fingers brushed over the scar across his chest. "You're him. How the hell did you survive that?!"

"Uh, care to explain." The racer smacked Law's hand away, a slight growl to his words. It really bothered him when random people started poking at him and touching him when he wasn't expecting it and sitting in his friend's kitchen really wasn't the place to be getting man handled by a psycho doctor.

Law babbled on as he continued to stare at Zoro. "We heard about you during my final year in school. Some rookie racer guy who got this huge gash across his chest. Should have killed him, ya, but he managed to recover. Of course we couldn't get a name or anything, confidentiality and all, but we did get to see a series of pictures; ranging from the day of the accident when they brought the patient in, to the day they released him from the hospital." His eyes flicked to Zoro's who narrowed his sharply, daring Law to say the wrong thing about the situation at hand. "I never thought I would meet him. I would know that scar anywhere. What I wouldn't have given to be there to be part of your treatment team!"

"Yeah, great." Zoro slid back out of the chair, the thought of food gone now, replaced by all the awful memories of his insane months in the hospital. Running a hand through his hair, Zoro turned to Luffy. "Where's my clean shirt? I gotta head home."

The younger man stopped, cheeks puffed with how ever much bacon he had managed to stuff in his face before the other two took notice. He nodded, swallowing hard as he picked up his glass and down the remaining contents of his juice. "Yeah, okay. Shirt should be in my room on the dresser. At least I think that's where Ace put it." Scratching at his hair, Luffy's ever present hat tilted slightly as his friend grinned.

Law seemed to have regained his composure, but made no efforts to apologize for his actions, not that Zoro really expected him to. His voice called out to him as he made his way back to his friend's room. "I would really like to talk about it some time. My partner said despite how it looks, it's really smooth, ya?"

Zoro paused, his shirt halfway over his shoulders at the creepy doctor's words. Okay, if he thought about it, he could understand his excitement about the scar. He _had_ been quite the story around the hospital while he was there, random nurses and doctors poking their heads in all the time to see him, but that comment caught him off guard. Partner? How the hell would anyone know it healed smooth anyways? Maybe he worked with either Doctor Crocus or his normal doctor? That would make the most sense. Or Chopper? The kid was freaking brilliant after all and had tackled him as soon as he came home to inspect the gash himself.

That had to be it.

Grabbing at his dirty shirt, he walked back towards the door, past the living room and still sleeping Ace, making his way into the kitchen one last time to say bye to Luffy and maybe even punch Law for anymore weird ass comments. Luffy had a plate in front of him now, a huge pile of eggs on it with Law near by cutting up a cantaloupe. Watching the doctor with a sharp knife sent chills down the racer's spine, making him really glad he wasn't a surgeon or something. He would hate to have to have surgery and have this nut job inside his body poking at things. Law looked up, not even watching what he was doing, his scowl back in place, eyes shadowed under his hat. His dark eyes locked with Zoro's. "Is that alright Zoro-ya?"

"Yeah, whatever Law." Zoro pulled his eyes away from the man to his friend. "I will see ya around okay Luffy? Let me know how Ace is too. Don't go keeping this shit from me anymore."

"I won't!" With a huge grin, Luffy turned back to his plate, a hand snapping out to grab at the cut fruit, causing Law to blink in surprise as part of his work just vanished before his eyes. Zoro turned, leaving the room, grabbing his helmet off a small table and pulling his boots on.

As he opened the door, Ace's groggy voice followed him into the hall. "Roronoa! Date details! Coffee Monday morning!"

"I have shit to do Monday morning Portgas! Some of us work for a living and aren't lazy bums." A crooked smile crossed Zoro's lips as he yelled back into the apartment, closing the door. A loud "I work!" coming through the door after him. By the time Zoro made it to his bike, his phone had gone off several times, vibrating in his front pocket, making him chuckle. He knew damn well they were all from Ace, still yelling and complaining about how he had a job too and that they _would_ have coffee and they _would_ discuss this date. Starting the bike, he commented out loud to himself about having to love over protective older siblings and laughed as he made his way home.

* * *

Kaya, along with Usopp, who was scribbling away in a drawing pad, arrived mid afternoon just as Zoro was getting out of the shower. He had spent an hour or two working on the Kitetsu when he got home to keep his mind busy before taking a longer shower than he had originally intended to. That damned cook invaded his mind again while he was scrubbing at his hair and even though the racer had tried hard to keep focus, the water was warm as it ran over his body and in the end it had been really hard to control his urges.

Literally.

He felt really relaxed though and was fairly certain he could handle an afternoon with the two picking out a single shirt. Hell, it wasn't like Nami and Perona were going, right? Right. Well he hoped. "Zoro!" Kaya's sweet voice drifted down to him from where she was in the kitchen, a small giggle followed by the call of his name. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," he came back from his room, scrubbing a towel through his hair one last time, stopping at the bathroom door to throw the item at the tub. Sitting at the table, he pulled his boots on quickly, glancing over to where Usopp was scribbling away, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. "What ya working on?"

"My graphic novel, well comic book." Usopp ignored him completely besides answering the question. Zoro shook his head, knowing to drop the conversation with his friend. Artists were weird people, the racer had learned that long ago. When his friend was done doing whatever it was he was doing, he would rejoin the conversation and the world surrounding him.

Kaya on the other hand, grabbed his arm and pulled the green haired man out of his chair towards the door and down the stairs, pushing through the side door towards the front. Usopp stood and followed, but was lost in his drawing, pausing only to shoulder his bag. "Oh, Zoro, I'm so glad you called me to take you shopping."

"Shopping?" Nami perked up from her place behind the front desk of the show room. She threw the pen she had down and stood up, splaying her hands across the smooth surface. "Zoro? And why wasn't I invited? There are sure to be tons of pictures to take."

"That's why." Zoro shot a glare as Nami grinned wickedly.

Kaya made a noise and frowned at the grinning girl. "This is important, Nami. Zoro has asked for my help in getting a nice shirt for his date."

The sound of Zoro's hand hitting his forehead, combined with a snort of a laugh from the receptionist rang around the hollow room before she burst out laughing, falling back into her chair. "Zoro?!" She gasped between cackles of laughter. "Date?! No way."

"And a respectable one as well," Usopp finally, _finally_ spoke up, pointing a pencil at the orange haired girl. "You should respect the fact that he would like to look nice for it and respect the fact that he has realized he has no clothes that are suitable for such an occasion."

Nami blinked, her laughter dying down as everyone turned to stare at Usopp. With a shrug, he stuck that pencil under his hat into his hair and pulled a different one from another spot, going back to his drawing like nothing was amiss and he hadn't just said the most awesome fucking thing to Nami to make her shut up. For only a second she fumbled over her words before she frowned slightly. "Really?"

Zoro shrugged. "Guy is a cook, runs his own business."

"How do you get the successful guys and I don't?" Crossing her arms, Nami mumbled as she watched Zoro scratch at the back of his head. He then shrugged, dropping his hand to his side where it smacked against his jeans. "Well, have fun, send me pics if you find any cute guys that are single since you seem to be good at finding them."

Thank whatever was out there that the phone rang and with a roll of her eyes, Nami picked it up as she took a deep breath. "Thank you for calling the Thousand Sunny Motorcycle Dealership, how may I direct your call this afternoon?" She paused, then covered the phone. "You here Zoro?"

"No, I'm not here." He scrunched up his nose as he made to turn for the door. "Who is that?"

The receptionist held up a finger as she spoke into the phone again. "I'm sorry, Mister Roronoa isn't here at the moment. May I take a message for you?" Reaching for the paper she had near by, Nami scribbled something down on a piece of paper, then reached out towards Zoro with it. Usopp, who was closer, mindlessly took it, handing it over to his friend, then went back to drawing as he flipped a page in his book. "Okay, thank you, enjoy your day."

The phone receiver dropped with a clunk as Nami placed both elbows on her desk, supporting her head in her hands. "So..." She paused, waiting for Zoro to open the door, watching as he stuffed the piece of paper in his pocket without even looking at it. "He said he called Franky's phone but he didn't answer, so he called here looking for you instead."

His hand gripped the cool metal of the handle, Kaya still on his arm as she eyed Nami casually. "Who?" He looked over his shoulder to her as Usopp bumped into his shoulder, looking up at the racer bewildered. He dug into his pocket to retrieve the note as Nami spoke.

Her grin widened as she tilted her head in her hands, one eyebrow arcing gracefully across her forehead. "Candy-boy huh? Please, Zoro, _please_ tell me he is _not_ the man you are dating."

Zoro's face dropped in utter shock. Now Nami knew the damned nickname too. Hell, she probably already did know, her and Perona were always talking and that girl had found the stupid name sooo cute. Ugh. Women. "First off, I'm not dating anyone Nami. And second, no. That's the photographer." His hand stopped just as his fingers wrapped around the paper and Zoro pulled his hand back out, leaving the paper in his front pocket. "I will deal with that later. Come on, I want to get this done and over with. I hate shopping."

"Have fun!" Nami waggled her fingers in a little wave as the door closed behind them and Kaya pulled Zoro towards the large car that sat waiting in the parking lot, Kaya's and Usopp's butler and chaperone, Merry, waiting with an open door for the three to climb in. He seemed to know where he was going. Zoro figured Kaya must have known where they were going to go and gave Merry previous instructions.

It fell into a comfortable silence in the back of the vehicle, nothing more than Usopp's frantic scribbling to keep them company for a good part of the journey. Zoro had to admit it was nice to hangout with these two despite its reasoning. Kaya and Usopp never judged him for anything he had done and it had been Usopp all those years before who he had first told his sexual preference to. Well, after Kuina that was.

Zoro sighed, leaning his head back against the wall of the car interior, knowing that now that he was sober, the blonde was going to have a ton of questions for him, and most certainly about that horrid scar across his chest. Everyone asked about it. The few who hadn't had been the one's who had seen it happen or were close enough to him at the time to not need to. Luffy had asked once. And only once. Zoro had explained it to him and that had been the end of it. The strawhat wearing man had simply nodded, grunted and smiled, asking if he had heard about some new restaurant that served all kinds of meat. Typical Luffy.

Sanji's pause to run his fingers down the ragged flesh came back to the racer suddenly. The look on the cook's face had been one he hadn't seen on any of his other sexual partners. It was a look of concern, briefly flashing behind that hungry lust...

Okay. No, not in the car with one of his best friends and the man's wife for crying out loud. How or why that blonde haired bastard was causing this kind of reaction, Zoro wasn't sure. He was hoping a night, while sober, with him might fix that. Or just make it worse. Oh no, he hadn't considered that option. What if spending the night talking to the cook only made these kind of reactions worse?! Could it get worse? What in the fuck was happening here? Where the hell had all his self control gone?! Who was this guy?

Hands came up into his hair and Zoro groaned as he pulled at the short green strands. Usopp paused from his drawing, looking over at him as he slowly shoved the pencil he was holding under the hat he was wearing. "You okay? Zoro?"

"Huh? Yeah, just thinking about the cook." He opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them to look at his friend. "Been doing that a lot lately honestly." Usopp simply grinned at him, a small knowing look on his face from the previous conversation around his dinning room table.

"Oh, tell me about him." Kaya said, wrapping her arms around the techie's arm now that he had stopped drawing. "What's he like? Do you like him?" Apparently he had not told his wife about te two sleeping together though. Thank you Usopp.

"Well of course he likes him, Kaya. Why else would Zoro want to go on a date with him?" Usopp chuckled, shaking his head at her with a smile.

"Miss Kaya," Merry's voice sounded as he rolled down the window that separated the front of the car from the back. "We are here now."

"Thank you Merry." She turned to him with a smile as Usopp opened the door, climbing out. Turning to help Kaya, Usopp leaned on the door as she spoke. "Once we go inside, I would love to hear about this man, Zoro." Then she took the hand offered and disappeared outside the car.

With a sigh, the racer climbed out of the car and blinked at the bright sunlight that hit the glass windows to the shop that stood in front of him. He wasn't sure what shop this was or what part of the city he was in, as he had never seem it before. Or at least Zoro didn't remember seeing it before.

And he was pretty sure he would remember a bright purple building. The large glass windows on either side of the door were filled with manikins dressed in the different shirts, suits and dresses offered inside. Zoro felt his eyebrow twitch at the colors as it reminded him of the photographer, that Ivankov. Why would Kaya bring him here? "Um..." he started to ask that very question when the couple disappeared inside without a second glance. With a defeated sigh and a slump in his shoulders, the racer followed them into the building.

The little bell at the top of the door sounded as Zoro was assaulted by color. Color that ranged from the brightest and purest of whites to blacks that looked like they could suck your very soul from your body just by wearing it. Usopp had vanished. How the man could disappear in six seconds Zoro wasn't sure, but he was just _gone_ leaving Kaya to talk to a weird orange haired man who was holding a...was that a wine glass?! What the fuck kind of place was this?! What sort of hell had his friends dragged him to? Turning back towards the door, he gave a small whine. This was not at all what he had in mind.

The man turned as the blonde girl gestured a hand towards Zoro, then raised his glasses off his nose to look at him. "What is wrong with your hair?" He took a deep breath, sipping from, yes, in fact, a wine glass. "It's okay, Miss Kaya, I can work with this. You should see some of the rabble that Ivan brings in here." With a roll of his eyes, the man walked towards Zoro, picking up a rolled tape measure and a small note pad.

"Zoro, this is Inazuma. Inazuma, Zoro. He is the best tailor in the whole city. I get all my dinner dresses here and that one suit of Usopp's. Where is he?" Kaya turned, hands going to her hips as she searched the fabric packed room.

The man in question's voice sounded from somewhere off to the side and slightly muffled. "I hate that suit!" There was a pause, then a excited gasp. "Oh! Green!" A muffled thud followed with a laugh.

"Arms out," the glasses wearing man flicked a hand at the racer's, smacking him in the forearm in an attempt to get Zoro to raise his arms. "Feet apart as well." With a frown, the tailor started taking measurements of Zoro's arms.

"All I wanted was a shirt Kaya. This is overboard." Now he was beginning to regret asking. His idea of a simple afternoon buying a single shirt and maybe catching dinner was all of a suddenly ruined. He hadn't wanted to put this kind of attention to a shirt he was most likely only going to wear once.

"Oh, Zoro, I am not going to let you go on a date with just _any_ old dress shirt. We will get you a new one that is tailored to fit you properly." The young woman had turned and was flipping through a thick book of fabric scrapes as Usopp rounded a corner the racer didn't even know was there with an armload of green fabrics. "Green? Really dear?"

"His hair!" Usopp half dropped, half threw the bolts of fabric onto a table and flung an arm out towards the green-haired man. Zoro watched as the tailor rolled his eyes then paused to scribble down some numbers on his pad of paper. "Come on!" Usopp frowned as his wife shook her head 'no.'

"I have blues and grays here that would go well with his hair." She held up the book to the dark haired man who had crossed his arms. "This one will match his eyes."

Zoro took a deep breath and sighed. He loved his friends, really he did, but right now with them talking about him like he wasn't even there and this guy getting really close to his groin with his stupid tape measure, was making him uncomfortable. He scowled at the tailor as he moved away, once again writing down some numbers on his pad of paper. "How much is this going to cost?"

His question went unanswered as the strange tailor turned to the couple.

"Darlings, we are no where near that point yet," Inazuma moved swiftly, Zoro barely able to keep his eyes on the man as he tried to catch all of the conversation between his bickering friends. "I know what shade of color I want to use anyways, so there is no need to argue." With a huff, he pushed Zoro's arms back to his sides, then came around to stand in front of him, looking him up and down, one hand holding to his chin.

With the other he picked up his wine glass, sipping at it casually before turning his gaze directly at Zoro's own. The racer crossed his arms as the tailor spoke. "Kaya, dear, come back in a couple hours and I will have the shirt ready for you. No more arguing." He clapped his hands, despite the wine glass held in one and ushered the three of them out, none to gentle on the pushes to the backs of Usopp and Zoro.

* * *

Zoro set the shirt box, a simple white box with the shirt neatly folded inside it, on his bedside table as he picked up his phone to check to see if he had any missed calls or messages as he had needed to leave it at home to charge. Fishing the slip of paper Nami had given him earlier out of his pocket, Zoro threw it onto the table as well, no longer needing to return the call of the crazy photographer.

Apparently, and Kaya had so lovingly left this small detail out, Ivankov and Inazuma ran their businesses from the same building and once the tailor was finished with him, the make up wearing nut job had all but dragged him into his office to show him the pictures of the fight he, Luffy and Hody had gotten into. Zoro had to admit most of them where pretty good, especially the one Ivankov got of Luffy punching Hody. It was the perfect picture with his friend flying through the air, fist just barely touching the MMA fighter, Zoro's body hung awkwardly in Hody's grip.

The other one Zoro liked, and he had to admit, again, that despite the guy's crazy appearance, he was quite the photographer, was one of Zoro and Hody right in each other's faces, the snarl on the racer's face as he bared his teeth at the man sitting on his bike. Ivankov had promised him a copy of that one and Zoro already knew where he could get Franky to hang it in the show room. Right behind Nami at the desk. Maybe someone, not him, could get the MMA fighter to sign it. Not that he wanted Hody's autograph, but it would make the photo that much cooler if they both signed it. Perona might be willing to do it for him.

His phone lit up, displaying a couple missed messages and a missed phone call from Ace. There was no voice message icon so he could only assume that either it wasn't that important or Ace had mis-dialed him. Which he had been known to do and given how tired he was, it was the most likely conclusion.

The first message Zoro had on his list was from Ace as well. He gave a half smile with a snort, guessing that his friend had just decided to leave a message for him instead. _Luffy says to change plans from coffee to dinner. You in for that? I want to know about this date!_

His thumbs hovered over the keyboard part of his phone's screen for a moment before he started a reply. _Yeah, sounds good. Where do you wanna go or do you wanna stay home? Or take out at your place?_

The next couple were from a number he didn't know and as Zoro looked at the first couple words of the unopened text in confusion, his phone pinged with a message from Luffy, which he opened immediately. _Yosh! Take out at our place. Ace says something yummy. I say meat! You?_

_Meat sounds good Luffy lol_ Zoro hit send then went back to the unknown number, eyebrows raised in confusion.

The first text was a bit bewildering, but Zoro read it anyways. The series of texts came in as if they were written and sent as they were thought of, instead of thinking of a single message to send. _Don't freak out. I got your number from the caller ID_

_Never settled on a time. 6?_

_Shit._

_This is Sanji in case your dumb ass couldn't figure it out._

_What do you like for food?_

The racer rolled his eyes. What a scatterbrain this guy was. Couldn't even string together a single text message. With a sigh, he bit at his lip as he thought about how he wanted to reply to this moron. Instead, he added the number to his contacts, nodding to himself that _shit cook_ was an appropriate name for the blonde. Maybe he could get a pic of him on Sunday to add to the contact as well. All his other friends and numbers in his phone had pictures. Even the Chinese place he went to, the picture for that one of himself and Luffy standing in front of it both with a 'thumbs up' and a huge smile.

Finally the green haired man settled on _whatever you cook will be fine._ Hitting send, Zoro set the phone down and laid down on the bed, stretching out along the mattress, propping his head up on his pillows. Taking a deep breath, Zoro closed his eyes and just enjoyed the quiet of the room after his more than eventful afternoon. Franky had gone grocery shopping, Zoro had discovered the note on the table and was going to get dinner, so that gave him a couple hours to catch a nap before the two would cook something when his roommate got home.

He was just really beginning to relax when his phone went off repeatedly three times. Looking over at it, the racer ignored it, remembering why he kept it on vibrate all the time, but after a minute, the urge to check it got to him and he picked it up, holding it up over his head as he read through the messages.

The first was a simple _Talk on Monday_ from Luffy. No need to reply to that one. The next one or well two, were a different matter. _Shit cook_ came up and Zoro couldn't help but chuckle at the name again. It really was a pretty good one after all. He wondered for a moment what he was saved as in Sanji's phone, _if_ he was saved in the blonde's phone. Then he read the message.

_Stupid shitty marimo! What kind of an answer is that?! Whatever I cook will be fine?! Wtf is wrong with you? Don't you have any preference? Oh, who am I kidding...moss doesn't think. Fine. I will come up with something, but if you don't like it, don't bitch._

Wide-eyed, Zoro reread the message. "That bastard!" He spoke out loud to his room. Then he got an idea. Let's see him cook Japanese. He and Kuina had spent half their childhood in the country of their heritage, he knew traditional Japanese food when he had it. Stupid blonde jerk. His reply was two words: _Traditional Japanese. _A smirk on his face as his hit send. What he wouldn't give to see the blonde's reaction to that.

His phone went off almost instantly. Hell, he hadn't even had a chance to set it down yet. _Now we are getting some where._

Then a second text followed the first. _Been a while since I cooked anything Asian based._

_Too challenging for you?_ Zoro hit send, chuckling to himself. Insult the guy's ability to cook, that outta rile him up a bit, given the fact he was a chef and all that crap.

_YOU BASTARD!_ Bingo. Score one for Zoro.

_I will show you. I can cook anything you set in front of me! Shitty racer!_

_Bring it on shit cook._ He hit send, set his phone to vibrate and set it on top of his shirt box, rolling away from it. Time for his nap. Zoro knew Franky would wake him up when he got home from shopping and if he didn't then whenever he did wake up, there would be food waiting in the frig for him. With a deep breath, exhaled through his nose, Zoro flung the covers over his head and was asleep before they settled onto him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Zoro didn't get nervous.

The word just wasn't in his vocabulary "list" of words to describe himself.

So then what was that weird feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him want to throw up and never leave the shower? Well besides the fact it was warm in the bathroom and the water was pretty hot, making his skin hum and slightly pink tinted.

With a groan, he slid down the cool wall, letting the water hit his pulled up knees and pool in the well it made in his lap. Mindlessly, he watched as the level rose, brimming and spilling over his hip and down the side of his ass to join the water on the floor of the shower. His hands pulled at his hair and Zoro scrunched his nose in an attempt to get the drop of water on the end of it off.

He didn't do anxious either.

He just needed to get it together. It was just a stupid date. A couple hours with the shitty blonde and then he could go home. Right? Right. It wasn't like he had been freaking out and looking forwards to this the last two days or anything. To actually spending some time with the blonde man and actually get to know him a little. While sober. That would just be stupid.

Sometime long ago he had erased "stupid" from the very bottom of the list, but right now he felt like writing it again, taking a big bold black marker and marking the list from top to bottom with the word. He both mentally and literally rolled his eyes at himself.

Standing back up, Zoro shut the water off and reached for the towel he had thrown on the closed toilet lid. It scratched lightly against his hips as he wrapped it around himself and stepped onto the rug and cool tiled floor. The mirror was fogged and he reached up to wipe the condensation away, it beading into drops of water across the glass, sliding down towards the bottom lip of the mirror.

The racer scowled at his reflection, turning his head slightly to the side as he did so. He needed to shave. Catching the lip of the mirror with his fingers, he pulled open the door to the mirror cupboard, grabbing his razor and can of shaving gel. Zoro tried to recall the last time he had to get this type of cleaned up on a Sunday. Years he guessed. Usually he didn't do much more than lay about and play video games with Usopp or Perona. Occasionally he would work on one of his bikes with Franky and had actually spent part of the morning doing just that. The Kitetsu was all apart, finally, and now it was a matter of cleaning the pieces that could be salvaged and cataloging a list of new parts to order.

The razor cut smoothly, the white foam coming away cleanly littered with specs of blonde and green. Zoro never did understand that. Everywhere else his hair came in green but for what ever reason, the hair on his face would sometimes come in blonde, darkening to green a few days later. It was the main reason he never grew a beard. He looked fucking weird the one time he had done it and Kuina had teased him to no end, even after it had all darkened to match his hair.

Filling the sink, he splashed water over his face, grabbing at the small towel that hung on the wall hook to wipe away any remaining shaving cream before he left the bathroom and padded down to his room to get dressed. A pair of black jeans was slung over the box that held his shirt and as he closed the door, not that he needed to, he was the only one in the apartment at the current time, he dropped the towel and grabbed at his jeans.

The water still clinging to his legs and thighs made getting the jeans on a little more difficult than normal and Zoro didn't even notice the little jump he gave to get them on till after the fact. With a frown at his stupidity, he opened the box, carefully pulling away the top layer of white tissue paper that lay on top of the fabric.

Kaya had insisted on paying for his shirt, saying it was a privilege to do so if it meant that Zoro might finally be able to find a guy that really made him happy. The racer really didn't know about that, but Kaya was always optimistic that everyone could find something like her and Usopp had. Sweethearts since kids, the two had always seemed to know that they were meant for each other. That's all Kaya wanted for everyone.

The shirt in itself was rather nice, the fabric smooth and soft. Having had to try it on at the shop, he knew it fit him pretty well, even leaving enough room to roll his shoulders without the fabric straining against his shoulders. He had to hand it to Inazuma. The guy knew what he was doing, despite his crazy appearance and hanging around the nut case photographer.

Picking the shirt out of the box, he rubbed it between his fingers and thumb, idly running a hand through his hair, flicking drops of water about the room and a few landing on the fabric in his grasp. It was a dark grayish blue, he thought he had heard the words slate-gray thrown around, but Zoro didn't know colors very well. Taking a closer look though, and by closer, one had to almost hold the fabric against your nose, there were faint lines of green, close in color to his hair, that ran the length of the fabric. You couldn't see them from far away, but it was just enough of a hint to accent his hair, or well, that's what the tailor assured them.

Slipping one arm in, Zoro did the same with the other, adjusting the fabric as it fell against his shoulders and he easily buttoned it up, shaking his arms, adjusting it at the wrists and settling the fabric before he tucked it into his jeans. As he did the button and zipper, he contemplated getting his belt, deciding it probably would be a good idea just this one time. He had it, but Zoro never wore it.

He had already decided that despite being told otherwise, he was going to wear his boots and as he laced the black leather through the belt loops, he walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Finishing the buckle of the belt, he grabbed his boots and sat down at the kitchen table to put them on, tucking his jeans into them and lacing them up tight.

There.

Not the most dressed up guy in the world, but the effort for him was there and this shirt was pretty fucking sexy, even if he would only admit it in his own head. Grabbing at the basket of scrap paper on the table, Zoro quickly wrote a note for Franky, noting the time and that he was leaving and not to worry about him. Thanking him again for going Saturday to get the Shuusui. Scribbling his name at the bottom, not like Franky wouldn't know who was leaving him a note on his own kitchen table anyways.

Locking the door and jogging down the stairs, Zoro grabbed his helmet off his street bike and pulled his phone from his pocket as he sat on the bike. This was probably the first time he had ever had a use for Caime as he flicked through the messages he and the blonde had fought through for the address of the Baratie. Setting his phone in his lap, Zoro placed his hand on the control panel, starting the machine. Caime's blue lights flickered to life in his helmet as he slipped it on. "Caime," he spoke calmly, holding up the phone. "Address of the Baratie." The computer, in her stupid bubbly voice, spoke an address as Zoro double checked it against the address in his phone. They matched and with a shrug, Zoro stuffed his phone back in his pocket and left the garage, rounding around the building and out onto the road.

Zoro had only been this far past the Thousand Sunny a couple times, normally not having a reason to venture past the dealership and his home. There was one time though that Water Seven had put on a Christmas party, oh, excuse me, a Holiday Party, at a huge restaurant down this way, but Zoro didn't remember much of it. Franky had snuck him really really good booze most of the night and after the first hour, it was a pretty good blur. Boy had Kuina been pissed when she found him passed out in the back of her car. Was a good night from the stories he had been told and what little he did remember anyways.

His heart dropped a little though when Caime told him to hang a left into a large open parking lot. This was it. The Baratie. The building was huge, built to look like it belonged on an ocean front and not in the middle of a grass covered field. Although, it kinda fit in a way, he supposed, as a small breeze kicked up, weaving the grass to look like green waves behind the building.

Shuusui rumbled to a stop at the edge of the parking lot near the front of the building. The racer recognizing the cook's blue car and parking in the spot next to it. There were a couple other van's littered around the parking lot, with _Baratie_ and _All Blue Catering_ written across the sides. Zoro's phone went off, vibrating in his pocket as he swung his leg over the bike, pulling off his helmet. Pulling it out, Zoro smirked as he caught _'shit cook'_ flash across his phone as he lit the screen up. _Come to the back door,_ the message started. _The place is closed on Sundays, so no one will be downstairs to answer the door when you get here._

Okay, sounds like a plan then. Propping his helmet under his arm, Zoro rounded around the back of the building, pausing as he searched the wall in front of him for some sort of door or something. Luck was on his side as a door opened towards him, the metal dented in several places, a couple of them looking almost like foot prints. A bag of what Zoro could only assume was trash, flew from the doorway, followed by a grunt and some muttering. The sounds of hands hitting pants sounded and an older man stepped from around the door, picking up the trash and turning towards Zoro.

The man paused, startled by Zoro's presence before casually looking him up and down and narrowing his eyes. "Roronoa," he growled, stepping towards him. The racer had no idea who this could possibly be. With the tall chef's hat and a peg leg as he walked towards him, Zoro was pretty sure he would remember someone like that. Then again lots of people knew his name and he had never seen them before in his life! Fan girls _everywhere_ screaming at him. Gave the racer a headache.

Subconsciously Zoro took a step back, only pausing once he realized he had done so. The other man advanced on him, a heavy limp on one side not slowing him down in the slightest. He came right up to Zoro, dark gaze never leaving him, pausing just inches from him, throwing the bag over Zoro's shoulder towards the dumpster the racer didn't even realize was there.

"I thought your name sounded familiar. You're that racer." The man's voice was rough and low, a slight growl to all his words.

"...Yeah," Zoro nodded slowly, not really sure what to expect. His grip shifted on his helmet, ready to swing it at this guy if need be. The man's gaze fell to his feet, slowly working his way back up Zoro's body till he again came to lock eyes with him.

He gave a grunt, then a wry smile as his long braided mustache twitched slightly. "Don't see what he sees. Can't even get dressed up properly."

Zoro couldn't help but smile back, his own cocky smirk at the old man. "This is dressed up for me."

The man raised an eyebrow, then turned and walked back towards the door, grabbing a hold of the nob as he looked back at Zoro. "Well, come on boy," Zoro's eyebrow twitched at the insult, but he kept his mouth shut and quietly walked towards the bastard, his boots clunking across the pavement as he went. The man went to walk through the door, but paused, pointing at Zoro with his finger right in his face. "I remember you from the party Water Seven threw here a couple years back. Hopefully you grew up a bit after your sister was killed. You hurt my Baby Eggplant and it will be me who comes after you."

Taken aback by the mention of his sister and the strange words, Zoro glanced at the ground in front of his feet, worried he might have missed some potted plant or something. He could be clueless if he wanted, but normally he was pretty observant of his surroundings. He was even more confused when he found no such thing and jerked his glance back up to the man, eyebrows furrowed in question.

With a laugh, the old man took a breath and leaned into the building, yelling up a staircase, now that Zoro took a look inside. "Sanji! Get your prissy ass down here!"

"Dammit Old Man!" Zoro heard the cook's voice from somewhere past the open door at the top of the stairs. "What do you want now?! Zoro's gonna be here—" The blonde stuck his head out of the doorway stopping in his yelling, face paling as he caught sight of Zoro behind the other man in the doorway. "Shit! Marimo!"

Huge grin on his face, the cook bounded down the stairs, coming to a halt at the bottom, clearing his throat and adjusting his shirt and vest. With a deep breath and seeming to have composed himself, the blonde glared at the man in between the two younger men. His eyebrows lowered as he fished around in his breast pocket. "What'd you say to him you shitty old geezer?" His voice lowered slightly as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

The man snorted, then laughed, pushing his way past the cook, bumping him in the shoulder causing the blonde to stumble back a step. "Nothing his simple little mind won't get over. Don't stand out here with the door open. I don't want your smoke drifting upstairs." With that, the old man started up the stairs, leaving the two young men to stare as he reached the top and disappeared inside, the slam of the door defining his exit.

The cook's glare turned from the top of the stairs to the smirk on Zoro's face. "Babysitter cook?"

"That's my old man." With a half smirk, the blonde's finger tips came to rest on Zoro's chest, splayed across it, pushing against him. "Get out moss head." He stepped forwards, causing Zoro to stumble back a pace as Sanji kicked the door shut behind them, leaving the two in the parking lot. That explained the dents anyways. Placing a cigarette against his lower lip, the cook flicked his lighter and inhaled the first drag off the smoke. "Nice shirt," tilting his head back, Sanji exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air above them. "Who knew you had such good taste."

"I don't." Zoro scratched at the back of his neck. "I had a friend help me pick it out."

"Ah, the little moss tried." A toothy grin formed around the cigarette with a slight chuckle. "What'd my old man say to you?"

Zoro shrugged, looking off to the side and trying not to openly stare at the blonde in front of him. He hadn't really taken a chance before now to take in the look of the bartender. Sure, he had gawked, was kinda hard not to that day he had been handed the business card. Zoro was pretty sure he had done his fair share of staring the last time the two spent any time together. But, let's face it, he had been pretty wasted and really didn't remember much of it. "Something about Christmas parties and eggplants."

Sanji groaned at that, taking a long drag off his smoke as he flicked his eyes to some point on the ground. "Shitty old man," he mumbled under his breath as he exhaled with a slight shake of his head. "Wait. Christmas parties? We haven't held a Christmas party here since the year..." The blonde stopped, gave Zoro a puzzling look, then shrugged, seeming to drop the subject before he even ventured to start talking about it. Crushing the butt on his shoe and dropping it into a can at the back of the door, Sanji opened it and stepped through, pausing to hold it.

Zoro grabbed a hold of the edge of the door as the cook stepped past the stairs towards another door, pushing that one inward and Zoro was assaulted by the smell of food and warmth. That door must have led to the kitchen. Pulling the outside door shut behind him, the racer almost blindly followed the blonde into the next room, following not only the smell of the food, but the chance to get a good look in at the cook's ass. Which seemed to look just as fucking good in those dress pants as they did in those tight jeans he had poured himself into the week before.

Shaking his head, Zoro spoke, slight confusion crossing his face. "What?"

Coming to a stop in front of one of the stoves, the cook picked up a wooden spoon, looking over his shoulder to Zoro with a smirk. "Hard of hearing? I asked you to explain that scar on your chest."

Setting his helmet on the silver prep table in front of him, Zoro crossed his arms, his typical scowl back in place as he lowered his eye brows at the cook. That was something he just didn't go talking about. Okay, yeah, it was pretty hard to hide, especially if he wasn't wearing a shirt, but that didn't mean he had to talk about it. "You always this forward on the first date cook?"

"Well I normally don't sleep with my dates the first time I meet them. Of course they usually aren't so drunk as to not be able to walk straight so..." Sanji trailed off for a moment, tapping the spoon against the edge of the pot he stood in front of. "That technically means that this isn't the first date."

"You cocky bastard. You act as if I agreed to date your blond ass." Zoro tried to bite back the growl to his words, but he was pretty sure he was failing at it. Stupid smug jerk. Man this guy knew just how to get under his skin and annoy him.

"You called me back." The phrase was simple and to the point as if those four simple words held all the meaning in the world. They seemed to reach out and smack Zoro in the face, laughing at him as the realization behind them hit him full force. Fuck. Fuck the cook and fuck this situation. Shitty bastard had him trapped from the beginning. The green haired man knew this had been a bad idea.

The blonde had moved again, moving from the stove towards a stack of crates near the walk in cooler door. Picking out a bottle, Sanji held it in his hands, reading the label before placing it back and choosing another one. Satisfied, he gave a small nod and turned back to where Zoro stood, arms still crossed, his dress shoes clicking across the tiled floor. Setting the bottle down, the racer couldn't help but flick his attention to it, noting the caliber of alcohol that now sat on the metal table top in front of him and his helmet.

A tall thin bottle, Zoro recognized it at once. He had only seen this a few times, but knew it and knew it well. This was some expensive and good stuff, imported directly from Japan. Taking a step forward as the bartender poked around a cabinet, Zoro picked up the bottle, reading the few translated words before rolling the bottle in his hand to the back label where everything was printed in Japanese.

"Can you read that?" Sanji appeared next to him, shoulders almost touching, invading his space as he craned his neck to look down at the label with the racer. "Marimo?"

"Some," Zoro shrugged, setting the bottle back down on the counter with a soft clink. "My sister could read and speak the language better than I ever could. I know the alcohol though." He grinned, turning his face to the other man's. Sanji was still so close and as Zoro's heart beat a little harder, thumping against his ribs, he couldn't help but remember the events the last time they had been this close. Was the cook thinking the same thing? The way his one visible eye seemed to be casually searching Zoro's features before pulling back with a slight frown.

"I never learned. Must be nice to know multiple languages." Setting the cups he had down, Sanji picked the bottle back up and cracked it open. "My old man is gonna kill me if he finds out I opened this, so we better drink the whole thing."

"Or I could just take it home?" Zoro shrugged, hoping the tone of his voice came across to the blond that he was joking. Eyes narrowed, the bartender watched him for a moment, pausing as he went to fill the small dishes with the warm liquid.

He gave a snort, shaking his head, a small smile gracing his features before he finished pouring the alcohol and setting the bottle down. "Yeah, I don't think that will go over well either." The cook leaned back against the table behind him, hands stuffed in his pockets as he casually crossed one foot over the other. "So, tell me: Why was the mighty racer getting so trashed last week?"

The phone conversation between him and Kamakiri flooded his mind instantly and Zoro felt a sharp pang of hurt as he flicked his eyes to the side. Drinking that bottle of sake like he had probably wasn't the greatest of ways to deal with a break up. "Tsk...you're better off not knowing. Seems to have worked out on your favor though so let's leave it at that."

"Fair enough." Sanji gave a small nod. "So, I will be honest, I did a bit of research on you. It's like a hobby of mine, you being famous and all. That bike's your sister's isn't it? The Wado..." Sanji trailed off with a frown.

"Ichimonji." Zoro's head snapped up as his eyes widened. If he thought about it, yeah it made sense. Nothing in his life was really personal anymore. In fact he was amazed that this fucking date wasn't all over the press. Of course Perona had been kept mostly in the dark so that helped. She meant well, but sometimes her constant picture posts to those online sites were the death of him. "Yeah. That was her racing bike. I was her mechanic before I started racing."

"Family business." Looking over his shoulder to the pot he had on the stove, Sanji stood up and walked over to it. He picked up a measuring cup full of a yellow liquid that Zoro instantly recognized as eggs. "Can you cook at all?" The sentence was simple and lacked any of the cook's sarcastic bite.

"A little." With a shrug, Zoro walked over to the other man as he began to pour the liquid in the pot, stirring it the entire time he did so. "My sister did most of the cooking once we moved back here and it usually wasn't anything too elaborate." The racer peered over the cook's shoulder, already knowing what he was making. The measuring cup had given it away anyways.

"I had to spend a couple hours on the internet trying to figure out what exactly to make your shitty ass with that request." Turning to look at Zoro, Sanji spoke quietly. "Thanks. Was nice to have to work a little before cooking. It gets pretty dull never having to learn a new recipe. This one is pretty simple, but I liked the idea of it. Egg drop soup it's called."

"I know what it is." Zoro gave the cook a smirk. "I asked you to cook this remember." The blond simply nodded, focusing on his stirring. Zoro watched for a moment, wondering if he could get away with touching the other man. A hand on his hip or something simple. They had slept together right? So why did such simple contact feel so awkward and alien all of a sudden? "What about you? This restaurant a family business?"

"No. My old man really isn't my father. Long story short, he adopted me when I was really young. I worked here and have been cooking with him pretty much my whole life, but I tested out of high school and went to a culinary college when I was seventeen. I did a couple years there before I got a job offer that brought me home a few months ago." Leaning back, Sanji turned the burner off. "There, that's one dish down."

"Oh?" Zoro raised an eyebrow and stepped back as Sanji leaned over to set the measuring cup with some other dirty dishes. "What brought you back here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know moss head." A smirk formed on the blond's lips, eyes flicking up to his before the cook moved away, walking over to the far side of the kitchen once more and pulling open a door that Zoro could only assume was the walk in frig. "You're not allergic to anything right marimo?"

"No I'm not shithead." He frowned at the blond disappeared, only to come back a minute later with a metal pan in hand. "What's in there?"

"Dinner." Setting the container down, the cook leaned down to get a cutting board and his knife set. "This is where I usually work." He gave a shrug. "Even though it's not really my station anymore, its habit to stand here." Flipping the fabric open, the bartender selected a knife and set about starting on the rest of the meal. Crossing his arms, Zoro again, walked over to where the blond was standing, but not before, moving back to the first table, gathering up the cups and alcohol and carrying it with him over to the new table.

Carefully, he set one cup on the top of the cook's work station, setting the bottle down on the next counter and raising his own glass to his lips. The liquid was slightly below room temperature and he swallowed, the sake running down his throat smoothly, leaving a light taste in his mouth. The cook spoke as he went back for a second swallow, causing him to pause with the glass half way to his mouth. Something in the cook's tone flicked a switch in the racer's brain. It was the same tone he had used when he first kissed him. That soft and concerned voice, low and quiet. "Would you tell me about her? Your sister."

"At some point." Zoro threw his head back, draining the glass, dropping it lightly onto the metal surface near the bottle. At least the cook had the decency to ask about Kuina and not just assume he had the right to know about her. "Not tonight. You don't have enough sake back here for that story."

"I have a full bar in the dinning room."

"Trust me cook, it won't be enough."

"Do you enjoy it? The racing? That partner of your seems like she is quite the handful. Her pages are public and she has quite a lot of photos of you. One she posted last week was rather nice." The man gave a low bemused chuckle and Zoro was pretty sure he knew instantly which one the blond meant. The one she had taken of him right after he had gotten out of the shower. The one highlighting the jagged mess of scar running across his chest. A hand idly went to his chest, rubbing at a particular harsh piece of scar tissue.

"The racing? Yes. I always have. Got into a bit of trouble with it before I was eighteen and old enough to race legally. Have been working on bikes for a long time though. Then, well, I took a year off. This was my first year back actually. And we had a hell of a year." Taking about racing always perked him up a bit and he found himself once again going on about his bikes and how he had finally had time to get the Kitetsu apart and started to list out parts.

Sanji listened quietly as he worked, preparing some sort of fish, Zoro hadn't really bothered to ask what kind, not that it mattered any. When it came to food as long as it didn't kill him, Zoro wasn't picky. He honestly was quite amazed at the skill of the chef, his hands swiftly moving through the meat in front of him, making precise and measured cuts with ease that obviously had years of skill and practice behind it.

He wondered why he had come home from a cooking college since this was clearly something the blond man enjoyed, but whatever it was must have been even more thrilling for him. With a satisfied nod, Sanji seemed to be done and instantly turned to the sink to clean off the knife and wash his hands clean. With a towel in hand, he dried off the knife, settling it back in its home along with the others as his phone rang. Pullling it from his pocket, Sanji looked from the number to Zoro. "I have to take this, if you don't mind. I will only be a moment."

Without even giving Zoro the chance to answer, his thumb slid across the phone and he held it to his ear. "Yeah? No, he's here now. Give me a second." He watched the blond walk towards the first door they had come though, disappearing outside with a slam of the door.

Zoro sighed, running a hand through his hair. This had to be the strangest date he had been on. Not that it wasn't a welcome change. Okay granted they were in a restaurant, but it was only the two of them and it was calm and relaxing. The fact that the man pretty much owned the restaurant was a lewd point. Watching the other man cook was intriguing. Watching the way he handled everything with care and talented mastership. Not to mention watching him with such sharp tools, handling them with professional skill and ease was kinda hot. It was very clear the bartender was in his element here and messing with him was probably not a smart thing to do.

Although, Zoro wanted to mess with him. Mess with him in a lot of ways...The racer wanted to mess him up, get him drunk off a lust induced high again. He wanted to hear him cry out and make him come undone until they made a mess of each other...He swallowed hard, forcing himself to breathe deep. The last thing he needed was for the blond to come back through that door to find him standing in this open kitchen with a fucking hard on.

The door from the dinning room to the kitchen slammed open, causing Zoro to jump and turn wide eyed in their direction. "Ah! Sanji-san, what ever you are cooking smells really...you are not Sanji. Oh, you must be Zoro!" A tall man with a large black afro and small pink tinted glasses, sat low on his nose entered the kitchen. Zoro craned his neck back to look up at the man. He had to, the suit wearing, cane wielding stranger had to be at least seven feet tall, towering over the racer as he had to duck to even get through the doors. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Brook, a musician. I play here several times a week for Zeff."

"Uhh..." Zoro stepped back to get a better angle to look at the other man, giving a small wave of his hand. "Hi?"

"Yohohohoho! You are a funny man! Sanji had told me you two were going to be here tonight. I am sorry for intruding, but I was just going to inform him that I was going to be in the upper dinning hall practicing. Do you think you could pass that along for me?" Brook gave Zoro a warm smile, gesturing to some other part of the building as he spoke.

The other door slammed open, revealing a slightly annoyed cook, grumbling under his breath, who upon seeing Brook instantly lost the frown. "Oh, hey, what are you doing here?"

"I was just telling Zoro-san here that I was going to be going to the upper dinning hall to practice for a bit. Sorry to have interrupted. Enjoy your night gentlemen." And with a slight bow and a twirl of his cane, Brook turned and left, back the way he came, ducking through the door and vanishing once more.

"Ah Brook, gotta love him. Funny man he is." Sanji shook his head as he watched the kitchen doors swing on their hinges for a moment. "Sorry about that. My work partner had something they needed to tell me. It wont happen again. Where were we?" As he talked, the blond closed the gap between the two men, invading Zoro's space once more as he came with in inches of the racer's nose. The blond smelled of cigarettes, which made sense since he had gone outside. He didn't move, didn't want to move as the blond loomed close and all Zoro could do was look back at the deep blue eye that stared at him.

He knew now that this had been a bad idea. A horribly bad idea as he stood here sober, running towards that cliff edge and willing jumping off it and falling. Falling for this rude arrogant blond. Something about this man had caught Zoro's attention and ironically he found himself thanking his most recent ex for doing what he did because it gave him this chance to gawk at the blond man without feeling like he was cheating. Well not cheating on any one other than himself. Cheating himself out of time he could be spending kissing and touching this man as he stood frozen to the spot. What stopped him from closing that small gap between them, Zoro didn't know, but it was horrible and he couldn't make himself move to do otherwise.

"You're eyes are quite stunning up close." Sanji raised a hand, lightly touching his index and middle fingers to Zoro's cheek. "Flecks of gold litter the green." His voice was low and was getting that husky edge to it that triggered Zoro's brain to flash to the night in the garage. With a growl, he grabbed at Sanji's hand, closing his own around it and closed the gap between them.

His mouth met the cook's with as much force as they had kissed before, pressing against each other fiercely as the bartender instantly fought back, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, his free hand grabbing at Zoro's belt and pulling their hips flush to one another. The hand trapped in his own worked free, twinning the twos' fingers together. The racer's eyes slid closed, wanting to do nothing more than focus on the blond. To consume him and remember every taste and line of this body for later use.

Tongues met, fighting viciously for a moment before Zoro overpowered Sanji, pushing him back into his own mouth. Not only did he smell of smoke, he tasted of it, dampened only by the hint of the sake he had drank. He felt more than heard the moan escape the cook as he explored the other's mouth, swiping his tongue across the roof before encountering his tongue again. The green haired man's free hand came up, slowly trailing up the side of the cook's body, feeling the muscles of his chest and shoulder before coming to rest at the base of his neck, holding him from pulling away.

Not that the blond seemed all that interested in ending the kiss as he wrapped his tongue around Zoro's, sucking on the muscle as he tried to draw it deeper into his own mouth. The hand on his belt tightened, pulling harder, keeping the racer's hips pressed flush against the blond's. Zoro's head was spinning, his thought pattern not much beyond the fact that he was once again kissing this gorgeous man, thankful he was sober enough to remember every little detail that he possibly could. He didn't want to ruin this time around by being in a drunken haze.

Reluctantly Sanji pulled back, forehead coming to rest against Zoro's as he panted for breath. "Well," he said with a smirk. "Shall I continue making the real food or are you content to just have me for dinner?"

The racer leaned forwards, pecking at the kiss swollen lips, before playfully biting at the blond's neck near his ear. There was a hiss as he sucked in a breath and Zoro could feel the shudder that ran through the other man's body at his actions. Hand still holding the bartender by the neck, he whispered huskily in his ear, "I was thinking maybe dessert."

Sanji groaned at that, going limp in Zoro's hold for just a second before regaining his composure and pushing him away. "Well then, marimo," Straightening out his vest again, Sanji pulled a frying pan from the rack hanging overhead and spun in lightly in his hand, raising one of his bizarrely curled eyebrows. "Shall we?"

The green haired man gave a wide grin as he watched the cook work. He worked effortlessly as he finished preparing a meal that included the soup, flame-grilling the fish and a simple vegetable stir fry. The blonde did admit the stir fry wasn't exactly traditional, but all the ingredients he used were as he set a full plate on the table in front of Zoro, then sat on a bar stool next to him with his own plate, two soup cups, the sake bottle and half filled glasses between them.

"What did you make down here brat?" Sanji's father, who Zoro now assumed was named Zeff, thanks to the weird musician, threw open the kitchen door, startling to the two men who sat at one of the empty metal tables. "Make sure you clean up whatever mess you make, you hear me?"

"Yes. For crying out loud, I'm freaking old enough to handle myself! And this kitchen for that matter. What do you want old man?" Sanji snapped out the words at the older man, lowering his eye brows and gripping the table tightly.

"I'm going out."

"Where could you possibly be going at eight on a Sunday night?" Sanji watched as his father figure crossed his arms and smirked under his mustache. Zoro watched the blond carefully as he picked up his sake to take a drink.

"Anywhere that doesn't involve listening to you two. I remember what it was like to be twenty. I don't want to hear it." Casually the chef waved a hand, as if simply dismissing the idea from his head.

"Zeff!" Zoro choked on his sake, almost spitting it back out as the blond jumped off his stool, hands balling to fists at his sides. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I just know how you are Sanji, that's all. It wouldn't be fair if I only threatened your boyfriend over here." Zoro turned in time to see the older man jerk his head in his direction before turning and waving, looking back at Sanji over his shoulder one last time before disappearing.

Sinking back onto his seat, Sanji's hands came up to cover his face as he mumbled behind them. "I'm sorry. He's just a perverted old man most of the time."

"Like father like son." Having regained his composure, Zoro shrugged, stuffing a mouth full of fish into his face like nothing was wrong. The blonde cracked his fingers, eying him through the hole they made before dropping them to the counter with a snorted laugh.

"You're a real bastard, you know that?"

"So I have been told now a couple times by you. What was that text you sent me yesterday? 'Fuck off you shitty moss headed bastard?' That was so sweet, no one has ever been so nice before cook." Zoro rolled his eyes at his mocking comment, pulling a bemused smirk from the blond.

"Just...fuck off. Go climb a tree somewhere and tell me which way is north."

"Oh ha ha." Zoro pointed his fork at the other man as he began eating, still muttering under his breath about how horrible his old man was. "Think about it though. You completely took advantage of me when I was drunk."

"What?!" His mouth snapped shut as he swallowed. Sanji reached for his glass, taking a drink of the alcohol within. "I did no such thing."

"You did though!" Zoro chuckled as he spoke, taking bites of food in between words. "I may have been drunk, but not only did you pick me up and bring me home, but you kissed me first."

"But...I..." Defeated, the bartender dropped his shoulders slightly, taking the food off his fork slowly as he must have been replaying the night's actions in his head. He looked up from his plate to Zoro, an acknowledged sadness hinting at his eyes as he spoke. "I did, didn't I?"

Reaching out, Zoro pushed against the blond's shoulder, tilting his balance at the cook went with the hit. "Stalker."

"Oi!" Sanji hit him back, smacking his arm away playfully, all traces of the moment of despair gone. "I am not!"

"Cook, you pulled up Perona's page to find pictures of me."

"Yeah, okay, stalker." Sanji rolled his eyes in mock criticism. Zoro chuckled, returning to his food. "It's what I do. I research."

"I'm pretty sure looking for half naked pictures of me through my racing partner isn't research." The green haired man spoke with light sarcasm as he stabbed at his food. "Right?"

"Okay, maybe that one wasn't." The blond shrugged, picking up his glass of alcohol and taking a drink. "But, honestly, I did do some research."

"Okay, enough, that's just creepy cook." Zoro pointed at him with his fork.

"What? You didn't?"

"No." Zoro snorted. "Why would I? Isn't the whole point of a date to _learn_ about the other person. Kinda takes the fun out of it if you already know all of it."

"I don't know _all_ of it." Sanji shot back. "Like I don't know why your hair is green. Or how you got that scar. Or your birthday or whether you like Christmas. Who your friends are. I just researched the big things, ya know? Water Seven and your racing stuff."

"And naked pictures of me."

"Is it really that difficult for you to believe that I would _want_ pictures like that of you?" Sanji raised an eyebrow, dropping his elbow onto the table and resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Only when you go through Perona. If you wanted naked pictures, you could have just asked." With a small jerk of his head, Zoro finished on his glass of sake, setting the little cup down as the blond bristled for a moment. He seemed to regain his composure and sighed.

"Okay, okay." Taking a deep breath, Sanji raised an eyebrow at the racer. "Can I have naked pictures of you?"

"No." He grinned at the blond's frown, breaking out into a chuckle as he sat back on his stool.

"Then why did you have me ask?!" A flustered Sanji was a funny one. The blond chewed at his lip, probably looking for a cigarette as his hand flexed open and closed in his lap.

"Do I get some of you in return?" Zoro questioned simply.

"No!" The bartender snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Honestly, I was wondering that my self." Zoro cocked his head to the side as he crossed his arms and Sanji picked up the plates to bring them to the sink. "I was just thinking: 'Roronoa, why the hell would you want to have anything to do with this ero-cook?'"

"Ero-cook?" Sanji turned from where he now stood at the sink, looking over his shoulder at Zoro with a raised eyebrow. "What's that mean?" The cook turned on the water in the sink, then rolled up his sleeves before starting to wash the dishes.

"Look it up." Getting off the stool, he came over to the blond man as he frowned and turned back to wash the few dishes in the sink. Wordlessly, Sanji gestured to the towel that lay on the counter and Zoro grabbed it, taking the dishes the cook offered, drying them and stacking them on the counter next to the sink. "Hey cook," The other man hummed a response, handing Zoro a plate. "This has got to be one of the weirdest things I have done. Thanks."

Setting the plate down, the green haired man leaned over and lightly kissed Sanji's cheek before taking the second plate and the last of the dishes from the blond before he dropped the plate. He was staring forwards, mouth slightly open before he looked at Zoro, once again chewing on his lip. "I need a cigarette." Without another word, he turned, grabbing a towel off another table as he walked quietly to the door, drying his hands. The dress shoes he wore clicked along the tiles as he took calm and steady steps, pausing at the door, looking back at Zoro. "You coming? Marimo?"

Dropping the towel, Zoro turned with a grin, walking over to the other man and following him through the door and back outback where the night began. Cupping his hand, Sanji lit his cigarette easily, exhaling a cloud of smoke towards the dark sky. "What do you have to do in the morning?"

"That your way of asking me to stay here tonight?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"It's my way of judging time." The cook took another drag off his cigarette, turning his attention from the sky to Zoro. "I have a long day tomorrow. Paperwork in the morning, then I have some other things to do in the afternoon."

"I will be at Water Seven all day." Zoro shrugged. "Guess the MMA are back in the morning for more photos and some of the kick boxers are coming in in the afternoon. I don't really care. I'm just there to make sure no one ruins the bikes tomorrow. Something about not being afraid of the security but not wanting to get on my bad side. Mine and Luffy's attack got around pretty quick I guess."

"Attack? Luffy?" Sanji seemed to perk up a little at the mention of the strawhat wearing kid and Zoro couldn't help the smile.

"Yeah, Luffy. He's a nut, but a great guy. One of my best friends. Him and his brother Ace." Rubbing at the back of his neck, Zoro gave a small chuckle as the attack on Hody came back to him. "In fact I'm having dinner with them tomorrow night. We are going to go out after we finish up there tomorrow. Probably be with the two all day. If you have some free time you should stop by! I will introduce them to you!"

The racer had no real clue as to why he was suddenly so talkative with the blond other than the fact he actually liked him. Something about this man, despite the fact he seemed to live to annoy Zoro, captivated the green haired and he wanted nothing more than to get to know this man better. Sanji was smiling, he realized as he looked over to him. The simple and light upturn at the corners of his mouth from behind his cigarette sent Zoro's heart into a faster beat, as stupid as it sounded. "Yeah, if I have time, I will. Thanks."

"I should go, since I have to get up early tomorrow." His voice was quiet, Zoro realized as he spoke, not really wanting to leave, but knowing that if he didn't he wouldn't get any sleep here tonight. And with the possibility of encountering Hody again tomorrow, he needed his rest. Without giving Sanji a chance to answer, he ducked back inside to grab his helmet and reemerged as Sanji was stubbing his butt on his shoe.

"Zoro," Sanji's hand snapped out, grabbing the racer by the elbow and pausing him as he made his way towards his bike. Once again his voice held the calm and quiet tone, eyes searching the racer's face as he spoke. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

He didn't answer him. Instead Zoro took the single step back towards the bartender, reaching his free hand to the back of his neck and pulling him forwards for a kiss. Lips met in a much softer kiss than before, but not lacking any less want. Tongues met, but didn't fight as the two simply melded together, enjoying the feel and taste of each other. The racer pulled back slightly, bumping his forehead against the cook's as he opened his eyes. "Call me whenever you want ero-cook."

Sanji's eyes opened slowly, locking with Zoro's. Tilting his head, Zoro kissed him again, pulling away and stepping back that one pace again. "Good night Sanji."

"Good night Zoro." The blond's voice followed him as he walked towards his bike, no longer caring about the large grin plastered across his face. He heard the door close as he pulled on his helmet and started the bike, Caime's voice greeting him in her annoying voice. The drive back to the Sunny was quiet, as was his trip up the stairs, unlocking the door and padding to his room after removing his boots. Franky's door was closed, the sign that the business owner had gone to bed for the night.

Laying down on his bed, Zoro turned to his side, plugging his phone in to charge before setting it on the table. Clicking off the light, the telltale vibrate of his phone sounded as the item slid across the table and he picked it up, snorting in laughter as _shit cook_ came up across the top of his phone. Sliding it open, he couldn't hold back the laugh as he read the single worded text.

_PERVERT?!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Franky was yelling before Zoro could even get out of bed. Apparently the blue haired man hadn't set his alarm right and the whole place was running late. The front doors weren't unlocked and he had been woken up by a rude call from Nami, who had been banging on the front doors for twenty minutes before hand. Wearing just a shirt and his underwear, he ran about, dashing up and down the stairs to get his business open, make sure the trailer was loaded and...oh yeah... "ZORO!"

Jumping and almost falling out of his bed, Zoro stared wide-eyed as a panting, open shirted and speedo wearing Franky in his bedroom doorway. He shuddered, that image was going ot give him nightmares, the racer was sure of it. "Get up! It's almost nine!"

Still sleepy, rubbing one eye with a hand, Zoro frowned. "So?" Mouth gaping open, his boss simply stared at the racer, waiting for things to click into place. Sitting up completely, the realization seemed to hit Zoro upside the head and he jumped up. "Shit! We need to be there at nine!"

"Haul ass Bro!" And Franky was gone, running back down the short hall and out the door.

Stumbling to grab the first pair of pants he came across and a shirt, Zoro pulled them on, grabbed his phone and made his way down the hall, simply grabbing his boots and slamming the door closed behind him. Practically falling down the stairs, shirt over his shoulder, the green haired racer bolted out the side down onto the show room. Nami raised an eyebrow at him from her spot behind the desk, pointing towards the door and Franky's truck, her bracelets jingling on her wrist. "Don't forget to put your shirt on Zoro!" Her voice called after him. "Not that I don't mind the view or anything!"

"Shut up Nami!" Throwing open the door of the trunk, Zoro was pretty sure his ass wasn't even in the seat and he _knew _the door hadn't been shut, before Franky threw it in drive and was careening out of the parking lot like a mad man. Throwing his boots on the floor, Zoro pulled his shirt on over his head, turning to Franky, who was tapping a hand on the wheel, pushing the truck as fast as he dared with a trailer full of motorcycles behind it. "So, I'm hungry." He tried to make it sound casual, but wasn't sure he had accomplished it only being awake for maybe five minutes now.

"Yeah, I will stop somewhere along the way. Man, this is so not super! I thought I set my alarm!" The older man jerked his sunglasses over his eyes. "Shit man, my bro's gonna kill me!"

"Ya know," Zoro pulled on his boots, then bent to lace them awkwardly, head pressed against the dash. "Why should we be on time anyways? Not like any of the MMA guys are gonna be." Switching feet, Zoro continued. "Besides, it's not like we are having pictures done today. I can get the bikes moved around pretty quick. I will get Ace and Luffy to help if need be."

"I love your friends and all man, but I don't want Luffy touching the sales bikes." Franky frowned. "He can be a bit of a klutz."

"Okay, okay," Sitting back up and finally getting buckled, Zoro pulled his phone from his pocket, flicking his thumb across the screen. His message icon lit up and he pressed it, jerking his head back in slight shock as it read he had eight messages. The first was from Ace, simply reading. _Dinner still on? I will see you in a bit anyways to get the details of that date from you._

Next was one from Chopper wanting to know if it would be okay if he swung by after he got done school that day. Maybe he could ask Ace if the kid could tag along for dinner. Would be great to spend some time with the little med student and it would keep Ace off his ass about the details of his date.

_Shit cook_ came up last and Zoro couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. _So..._ the first message started. _You left your food here last night._

_This gives me an excuse to come see you today._

_Not that I needed one._

_Right?_

_Oh shit, oh well. I already moved my shit to do today around so I can stop by._

_See you at noon marimo._

Shaking his head, Zoro rolled his eyes. He really should teach the moronic blond how to send a decent text message. _We should be breaking for lunch around then. Sounds good to me ero-cook._ That outta piss him off. Hitting send, Zoro stuffed his phone back in his pocket, leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes. Wasn't much he could do other than panic over Franky crazy driving right now, so he might as well try to get a little more sleep in.

Franky's large hand on his head, rubbing erratically at his hair, jolted Zoro awake and he glared over at the other man, who was grinning ear to ear. "I always wanted to do that. Your hair is so spiky!"

Flailing his arms in a bad attempt to get Franky away, Zoro opened the truck door and rounded around the side to the trailer where the business owner had backed the trailer up to the wide open doors of the area where they were doing the photo shoots. With a sigh, he leaned against the trailer door, waiting for Franky to come around with the keys to open the lock and let him in so he could get the bikes out. The older man simply threw him the truck keys as he headed inside.

Catching them easily, the racer turned, quickly picking out the key he needed and slipping it into the lock. Stuffing the keys in his other pocket, away from his phone, he flipped the handle and pulled open the door, lowering it as he walked backwards to create the ramp used to load and unload the bikes. His and Perona's racing helmets were on the floor, hers having a huge scrape through the paint and his visor being chipped. Setting them back on the shelving, Zoro shook his head. Everyone was at fault there. No one had secured them the last time they used them and Franky this morning must have dumped them to the ground as he flew from the parking lot.

Would give Usopp something to do. He would have to make sure nothing electronic was busted and repaint Perona's helmet. Boots clunking as he worked his way into the trailer, the green haired man crouched at the first of the black sales bikes, undoing the straps that thankfully held the expensive piece of machinery in place. With a grunt, he pushed it forwards, getting just off the ramp when he heard Luffy shout his name. See, Ace was late, what was the big deal anyways? "You're late!" Luffy laughed as he adjusted his stupid strawhat on his head.

Okay, so Ace wasn't late. But it was Ace after all. The man would be early for his own funeral. "Franky forgot to set his alarm."

"So you did make it home last night?" Ace's cackling laughter erupted as the two men walked the bike into the building. Zoro dropped the kickstand as the cowboy hat popped around a curtained corner. "I was wondering if you would repeat the first date." Raising an eyebrow, he chuckled again.

"Ace..." Zoro shook his head and turned to walk back to get one of Perona's pink bikes. He had no idea _why_ Ivankov wanted the pink one, but who was he to even attempt to understand the nut job photographer. If it made him happy and caused him to stop calling him "candy-boy" Zoro was all for it.

"Well," The MMA fighter jogged to catch up to Zoro as he stomped his way back into the trailer, half throwing straps around as he went. "Come on, out with it." Turning, he pulled Luffy to him and clamped his hands over his younger brother's ears. Luffy jerked around in the hold, but after a second gave up, crossing his arms with a pout. "Did you sleep with him again?"

"Wait, wait?!" Luffy managed to pull away this time and stared at his brother before turning to Zoro. "With who? Again?!"

"Thank you Ace." Zoro jerked the second bike free and brought it down to sit with the first. Leaning against it slightly, he crossed his arms watching the displays around him. The black Roronoa he had used in the street race the week before now sat in the middle of the room, lights shining off it's black paint from all angles.

Jinbe was there, his championship belt casually thrown over one shoulder as he spoke to the photographer, nodding once in a while. Off to the side was Hody Jones, purposely keeping his distance from Zoro's namesake bike. Behind him was Arlong the Shark and Bellamy, both part of Hody's little group of fuck ups. How they ever became big name MMA fighters, Zoro would never know.

A hand caught the back of his shirt and Zoro was thrown off balance as he was jerked backwards and to the side. Shoulders hit the wall as Luffy and Ace stared him down. "Well?" Ace repeated his earlier question. "Come on, out with it!"

"Isn't this what dinner is for Ace?" Zoro shot back, eyes going from him to the underground fighter. Luffy's bandage was off the cut under his eye, revealing the few stitches. The thing was going to scar, that was for sure, despite Chopper's really awesome job at stitching it up.

"Just yes or no."

"No."

"What? Why?"

"What guy Zoro? Tell me!"

"The bartender from the party Luffy."

"What bartender Ace?"

"The guy that told everyone they could eat. The one on the balcony."

"Ooohhh...wow Zoro, I didn't know you liked blonds."

"Ugh..." Pushing off the wall, Zoro simply walked away, thankful, but a bit worried that the two brothers stayed put to continue their conversation on his sex life. Slipping back out to the trailer, Zoro picked up, wrapped and put the ties away, cleaning up the small mess that the trailer had become before glancing to the last bike left in the trailer. The Yubashiri sat quietly in the darkened shadows of the trailer, patiently waiting it's next adventure. During lunch today, Zoro was going to switch it out with the Wado Ichimonji and bring his sister's bike back home.

His stomach growled loudly and he frowned, remembering he didn't get a chance to eat breakfast. He heard Franky yell something outside the trailer and walked back down it to be met with what appeared to be a sandwich wrapped in tinfoil. "Here," Tossing it lightly, Franky began to unwrap the one he had in his own hand. "Guess Iceberg decided to supply a breakfast today. Figured you would be hungry. I saw Ace and Luffy inside."

"Yeah," Zoro nodded, pulling back the foil and getting hit with the smell of bacon egg and cheese. "I have already been assaulted by them."

"Date stuff?"

"Date stuff." Zoro nodded, taking a bite of the thankfully warm food. Talking with his mouth full, he turned to Franky. "Who brought this in?"

"Dude, didn't you see the All Blue Catering truck? Naw, you would have been asleep still." Franky shook his head, but grinned when Zoro paled slightly, looking down at his breakfast. "Don't worry, blondie wasn't here. Some older man was though and boy was he pissed off when he caught a look at me. Starting screaming that it was my fault about that Christmas party."

"Old guy with a peg lag?" Zoro asked calmly, taking a bite of his sandwich as he watched a line of people file in and out of the building carrying more lights and camera supplies.

"Yeah," Franky spoke as if still thinking, mentally recalling the details of his earlier encounter. "How'd you know?"

"Sanji's dad. He gave me shit last night about the same thing. I don't even remember most of it."

"Dude's weird."

"You have no idea." Zoro shook his head and sighed. "Well, come on, let's get this morning over with. I just want to get the Wado Ichimonji moved and go home to nap." Walking as he spoke, Zoro shouldn't have been surprised when Ace appeared in his vision flicking his hat higher on his forehead.

"Didn't get enough sleep last night Roronoa?"

"For fuck's sake Portgas! Drop it already!" Zoro kicked out at his friend, who blocked the attack easily and skipped off to the side, once again cackling as he did so. Luffy came from no where, jumping up on his shoulders and Zoro resigned himself to being his friend's seat till the younger man decided to get off. Wrapping his arms around Luffy's legs to support him and taking another bite of his sandwich, Zoro walked calmly towards the open area of the photo shoot, sending glares towards anyone who dared touch his bikes beyond what Ivankov instructed. He must have looked really awkward though, shooting glares with the younger man perched on his shoulders, but knowing Luffy, he was glaring at people as well. Either that or giving them the biggest and most innocent grin he could muster. Whichever worked Zoro supposed.

Lunch came sooner than he expected and Luffy wiggled down from his perch, bolting for the tables off to the side. With a groan, Zoro rolled his shoulders, thankful his friend had gotten down and turned back for the trailer and the Yubashiri. Paulie and Coby met him at the trailer, this time the younger security guard standing off to the side, shuffling on his feet, waiting for Zoro to speak to him. "You really scared him." Paulie commented as Zoro pulled the straps from the bike and kicked the stand. "You sure you want to do this? Your sister's bike is such a symbol of this building now."

"Yes," Zoro pushed the bike forwards, adjusting his weight and balance as the older and heavier bike took to gravity and rolled down the ramp and onto the pavement before the doors. "It's been here for over a year now. This one is a good replacement."

Paulie shrugged and the three walked quietly through the area where everyone was eating and down the long hall to the front entrance of the Water Seven building. The skies where clouded over and the normally bright sun that swept across the tiles was muted and bland. His sister's bike looked dull in the glass case, giving Zoro even more reason to take her home where the hum of the florescent lights of the Thousand Sunny showroom would keep the polished white paint ablaze.

Unlocking the door to the case, Paulie climbed up into the glass fixture, gesturing for Coby to stand on the other side of the glass wall as the older security guard undid some bindings and lowered the glass into the pink haired man's waiting hands.

Zoro helped and within a few minutes the three had enough of the casing moved away to move the ramp in and switch bikes. Secretaries watched with raised eyebrows from behind desks while filing nails and more than once Zoro had to stop to sign scraps of paper people shoved in his face and take a few annoying photos. Sometimes he hated the fact that his face had become one of the center figures of Water Seven.

The Wado Ichimonji was the first of its class. A light weight bike built by himself and Kuina when she first decided to start racing professionally. They had to simply submit paperwork under the name "Roronoa" because without really looking into it, it could have been Zoro who was applying. Female racers were a thing, but few and far in between. Wrapping his hands around the handlebars for the countless time, Zoro kicked the stand up and with Coby's help, slowly and smoothly got the retired bike to the floor.

Paulie did admit the older Yubashiri looked just as sharp sitting on that black carpet as the other bike had and the three quickly reformed the glass cage around the new display before making their way back to the white motorcycle. With the security guards pushing the moveable ramp, Zoro trailed behind with his prized possession, grinning from ear to ear knowing that this last piece of his sister would finally be coming home.

He hadn't been expecting footfalls coming up the trailer as he secured the bike in the spot that had formally been his own bike's. Looking up, his scowl faded when he saw the off stanced long and thin legs of one shit headed blond. "Hey cook,"

Sanji was holding several containers that Zoro could only guess was food from the night before that had been promised to Franky. He had unneeded sunglasses perched in his hair, making his bangs fall awkwardly against his face. Flicking his head to the side slightly in a hopeless attempt to adjust the mess of hair, the cook raised the containers he held slightly. "Have a place to put these shitty moss head? They need to stay cool."

"I do actually useless cook." Zoro grunted as he tightened the last strap on the bike and stood up, dusting his hands off and turning towards the front part of the trailer. "There's a dressing room up here. Its self sustaining. I have no idea how Franky does it, but there is a mini fridge with a lock on here so the food can go there." Throwing open the door, the racer stepped into the familiar room. Off to one side, his and Perona's jumpers hung, along with Franky and Usopp's jackets for when they were at the track. Sitting on the full length bench, Zoro punched in a code and opened the door to the frig as Sanji stuck his head in.

"This where you change for races?" Taking a look around, the blonde stepped fully into the space, mindlessly handing over the containers for Zoro to put away. "You could sleep in here!"

Closing the little door, Zoro stood up, pushing the other man aside and pulled on the bench seat, producing a small single person pull out bed. "I _have_ slept in here. Franky does all kinds of awesome shit like this." Sitting down on the now bed, the racer leaned back on his arms as he spoke. "You should really see some of the things he has going on in the shop! I will have to actually show you around when I'm sober some...what are you doing?"

Sanji leaned out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him, effectively pinning himself between the door and Zoro. With a shrug, he took the two steps to where Zoro sat, bringing one knee up to rest on the bed before leaning his weight on it, bringing his other knee up and settling himself in Zoro's lap. Eyebrow raised and head turned slightly, Zoro narrowed his eyes as his hands unconsciously went to thin hips. "I said I was coming to see _you_, stupid marimo, not the trailer." Sanji rolled his eyes, arms coming to rest on his shoulders, fingers idly licking at the base of Zoro's hair.

His body shuddered unwillingly as the cook spoke, eyes half closed and from this angle, Zoro could actually see both of them. The striking blue orbs looked back, slightly glazed in the dim lighting of the makeshift room in the trailer front. Then Sanji's lips turned up in a sadistic smile as he coked his head to the side. "Hi."

"...Hi..." Zoro responded, slightly thrown off by the man's bizarre behavior. The blonde shifted in his lap again, finding himself a more comfortable position and doing nothing if not making the actions _very_ suggestive as he did so.

"Part of me wishes you would have stayed last night." Sanji spoke calmly, his voice low and husky. Zoro simply nodded. He still wasn't sure how to react to this man besides annoyance and whenever he did, it made him think of the blond in ways that shouldn't be legal. Like right now, the only thing running through Zoro's mind was how hard it would be to get those skin tight jeans off his gorgeous ass and fuck him into this bench bed of Franky's.

Sanji seemed to agree as he raised one curled eyebrow before dipping his head to press his lips against Zoro's. The racer attacked him, biting at his lip and dragging his tongue against the pale lips of the blond as he hands ran up Sanji's back, pulling his down closer from the shoulders. The cook moaned and it went straight to Zoro's groin. The thick and heavy heart beat that thumped in his groin just pushing him to molest the blond further. Opening his mouth, Zoro licked as Sanji's lip, nipping to get the other man to comply. The green haired man groaned in thanks as the bartender did just that, sliding his tongue along Zoro's encouraging him to seek out his mouth.

The cook tasted like cigarettes and mint gum, Zoro's tongue coming in contact with the small item as he explored the blond's mouth again. Sanji's hands gripped his hair tightly as he ground his hips down, then forwards and Zoro could feel the clothed erection of the blond press against his stomach. It had to hurt to be confined in those jeans like that. It hurt Zoro just thinking about it.

Sanji didn't seem to mind or just simply wasn't paying attention to how confined he most likely was as he fought his way back into Zoro's mouth, jerking his head to the side slightly and pulling Zoro along with him by the hair. He just couldn't get enough of the egotistical blond man and it was beginning to drive him crazy. He felt like he _needed_ Sanji, whether it was simply lust or knowing what the other man offered sexually, Zoro wasn't sure, but he did know he wanted to see how much noise he could make the cook make as he slammed into that lithe frame again.

Panting for breath, the bartender pulled back, eyes fluttering open as his tongue seemed to search his mouth for a second. "My gum!" He huffed, frowning at Zoro.

With a chuckle, the racer held it between his teeth with a large grin, eye brow cocked mockingly. "Want it back?"

"Yes." The word came out short and snappy as Sanji pushed him in the shoulders. Zoro fell back against the makeshift bed with a laugh, grabbing the other man by his buttoned shirt collar and pulling him down for another kiss. Sanji's tongue was in his mouth before Zoro really knew what was going on and he found himself opening his mouth more, letting the blond explore his mouth and search for his gum as he saw fit.

He had other things on his mind anyways, as his hands slid over the cook's shoulders and down the smooth back to his ass where he grabbed at it, groaning as Sanji jerked forwards grinding against him. The blond paused at this, a moan of his own into Zoro's mouth. He then adjusted himself, knees coming to rest on either side of Zoro's hips as his arms slid up his sides, catching his shirt.

Having found his gum, the bartender pulled back, sitting up on Zoro's hips, hands splayed across his chest under the bunching fabric of his T-shirt. "What are your plans tomorrow night since you are busy tonight?" His voice came out in a breathy gasp as he spoke and it just sent whatever remaining blood Zoro had on reserve straight to his throbbing hard on.

"I have plans tomorrow night." He frowned. There was no way he was going to miss his race, even for the sexy blond perched in his lap right now and besides, he told Luffy he would head to the bar after his race again. Tuesday night was quickly becoming his and Luffy's hangout night.

"Oh." Sanji's body sank a little at that, face dropping into a small frown, eyes shifting down and to the side. For some reason Zoro hated that look. It didn't fit the annoying self righteous attitude of the blond as he looked simply defeated above him. The racer normally didn't do kind or tender, but found himself cupping the blond's cheek, the words coming from his mouth soft and quiet.

"Hey, don't get like that. I have normally only ever had plans on Tuesdays. The rest of my week is mostly open, unless Luffy kidnaps me on Thursday." He frowned slightly at that, remembering this past Thursday's experience in the underground ring. He wasn't sure if he liked that thrill that ran through him as he watched his friend beat the shit out of someone or not. Unnerved him actually. "And I never do anything on Sundays."

Sanji seemed to perk up slightly as that. "So I can kidnap you on Sundays then?" Zoro grinned as Sanji used his own wording against him and nodded slightly, dropping his hand down to toy with the first couple buttons of his dress shirt.

"Let me get rid of this gum." Sanji turned slightly, grinding them together again, pausing with a shudder as he had apparently not thought about his actions before hand. Zoro groaned himself, letting his head fall back against the bed once more.

"Tissues...there." He motioned numbly with a hand, then dropped it to the bed, raising the other and pointing towards the frig. "Trash over there." Even such simple things like this had his brain short circuiting and his whole body on fire. Damn this blond! His body seemed to know what it wanted and it wanted Sanji...bad. And _now apparently_ as he raised his hands again to start unbuttoning the shirt. "Who wears a damned dress shirt with jeans like that?"

"Don't like my jeans moss head?" Sanji raised an eyebrow, his own hands coming up and slipping under Zoro's to quickly undo them all, letting the sides of his shirt hang open as he dipped forwards again, nudging Zoro's chin up so he could get at his neck.

"Oh," He swallowed, closing his eyes and just giving in to the way Sanji dragged his tongue up his flesh, nipping occasionally before sliding the muscle over his earrings. "No, I like them a lot. I would really like to see them on the floor though."

"Impatient moss head." With a suck of his earrings, the bartender slid back a little, straddling Zoro's lower thighs as his hands moved lightly to their previous position under his shirt. The racer was about to open his mouth when the cook nipped at his exposed naval and hitched the shirt up over his head, twisting it and locking Zoro's wrists in the fabric. With his left arm now bracing his weight, keeping Zoro's own arms over his head, Sanji adjusted himself to grind down on Zoro. Instinctively he thrust his hips up to meet the cook, hard ons rubbing deliciously between clothing.

Sanji's eyes rolled slightly as he ducked for a kiss, biting at Zoro's lip and quickly moving on down his neck and chest to the upper edge of the long scar across his chest, hip and shoulder. The green haired man watched him through half lidded eyes, the hum of sex taking over as once again this soft side of the blond surfaced as he gently kissed at the marred flesh on his shoulder. The action sent an unfamiliar shudder through Zoro's body and he gave a slight moan, lifting his shoulders as much as he could with his hands locked over his head, tilting his head back and fully exposing his neck to the man holding him down.

"You're fucking gorgeous," Sanji murmured into his skin, making the messed up nerved ending jump in his pectoral muscles. He kept moving down the line of the scar, twisting his body in ways Zoro had only seen on TV when he got roped into watching weird ass shit with Perona. The weight on his shirt never wavered as the cook moved down towards his hip, biting the bone where the scar ended roughly.

Zoro was panting now, openly gulping down air at the attention of his flesh. The nerve endings had never healed right and there were days that even the rub of his shirt was too much across his chest. The blonde taking the time to _purposely_ abuse the flesh was overloading his senses and he struggled against his shirt, twisting his wrists to get free. "Let me go," he spoke between breaths as the cook's eyes flicked up to him from his hip, tongue halfway to his skin again. With a groan, the racer's eyes rolled back in his head and Zoro dropped his head to the bed again. No one should look that fucking sexy by simple moving their eyes. Besides the fact his brain instantly assumed that the cook should be licking his cock instead of his hip didn't help anything either.

His groin pulsed again as Sanji lifted himself up onto his knees, letting go of the shirt to which Zoro instantly grabbed at the open sides of the bartender's shirt and pulled his forwards, mouth slamming together harshly, teeth clacking as he did so. One hand found the cook's ass again as he squeezed the muscle there and jerked his hips up into the blond's. "I just want to fuck you." Zoro's breath had to of been hot against the blond's ear and he bit down on it at the groan that escaped the bartender from his words.

He was in the process of sliding his hand from the cook's ass to the front of his jeans when the side door of the trailer flew open, revealing Perona in all her picture taking glory. Zoro heard the snap of the camera on her phone as her grin widened. "Now _this_ is cute!"

Zoro paled, hand frozen midway to Sanji's hard on as his racing partner turned the phone to get a better look at her handy work. "Perona!"

Sanji shifted back to his heels slowly, looking from Zoro, who had instantly become a flustered mess to the the girl standing in the doorway of the trailer. She shifted to lean against the side of the door. Hands still splayed against Zoro's chest, Sanji took a breath as Zoro growled and jerked about under him in an attempt to get to his racing partner. "I swear to...to...whatever! You put that online Perona and I. Will. Kill. You!" The racer spat out each word dripping venom as he did so.

"No, I won't." Her eyes flicked from her phone to the two men inside the trailer. "He is so much cuter than Kamakiri anyways. I just wanted to let you know that lunch is almost over and that you have to go back inside to help with the kick boxers."

"You could have knocked on the door." The pitch of Zoro's voice with higher than he wanted, but right now he didn't care. That bitch had new blackmail on him and it was _not_ something he wanted her to have. Maybe Usopp could get in her phone and delete it. Yeah, he totally could. Why hadn't he thought of that before! If there had to be one other person to see him in this predicament, he would rather it be Usopp than anyone else.

"This is more fun." She gave her weird laugh, cracked a smile, waved her fingers at them and walked away, shutting the door as she went. "Bye cuties."

Zoro breathed a sigh of relief dropping back to the bed, arms out to the sides before raising them to his face with a groan. "I hate her."

"You really shouldn't treat a lady like that Zoro." Sanji frowned at him as he stood up, buttoning up his shirt. The racer cracked his fingers to look at the blond as he did so.

"You're on her side?" Grabbing for his shirt and the entire moment ruined, he threw it on in a huff, laying back down to adjust himself in his pants. He was still painfully hard, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now it seemed anyways. "She lives to torment me."

The blond shrugged, leaned back, slipping a hand in his own pants in what Zoro knew was an attempt to adjust his own hard on before turning towards the door he came in. "Who's Kamakiri? Like the sports anchor Kamakiri?"

Finally sitting up, Zoro sighed, dropping his elbows to his knees and rubbing a hand through his sweaty hair. "Yeah, that's him."

"How do you know him? He doesn't cover racing. He's into basketball, football and hockey." The blond scrunched up his nose at Zoro.

Zoro looked up to Sanji, half expecting the blond to be rather annoyed, but instead his face was blank as he studied Zoro and his reaction. "I don't really want to talk about it right now. It's gonna sound a lot worse than it really is." Standing up, he stopped as Sanji's hand came to his chest.

"Try me marimo." His tone was challenging and Zoro lowered his eyebrows at him. "Come on, out with it."

"I warned you," Zoro growled, then took a breath. "Kamakiri and I were dating. Upt! You wait," the racer pointed at the cook as he opened his mouth to speak. "I'm not done. The night of the banquet he called and broke up with me, so I got really shitfaced and well, wandered into the bar."

Zoro stopped as Sanji's eyes went wide as the blond began to put the pieces together. "I never meant to get that trashed or to have you get involved." He muttered the last part, dropping his shoulders slightly. It was true, he hadn't wanted to learn of Sanji's existence this way at all.

"So, what the hell was I supposed to be? Just some drunk fuck?" When Zoro didn't answer, eyes dropping to the floor, the cook sucked in a breath through his teeth. "That explains why you were so hell bent on not calling me."

"You're at fault too here!" Zoro snapped back. "You took complete advantage of the fact I was fucking shit faced!" Sanji took a step back at this, jolting once again to the racer's words. "Look, I didn't call you back because I wanted to sleep with you again. I called you back because I couldn't stop thinking about you. We both fucked up. I shouldn't have done what I did. That's not how you handle a break up."

The bartender was quiet a moment before he spoke. "Yeah, I was just trying to be helpful that night, but the way you spoke about that bike and your sister...I don't know. I just wanted to get to know you better was all. I had no idea."

Zoro shrugged. "Not like I was talking about it."

A knock on the trailer door startled the two men and Zoro spoke as Franky opened the door. "There you are. Oh, hey, blondie." The man grinned as Sanji snapped his hands into fists at his sides. The annoying nickname the other man had given him when he discovered that Zoro had a roommate that following morning. "Hate to interrupt, but I need Zoro here to help keep these kick boxers in line. The photographer isn't willing to start till the rookie gets here. Guess he's late and all the others get getting impatient."

"Okay, I will be out in just a second." Zoro said and with a nod, Franky closed the trailer door again. Turning back to Sanji, he gave a shrug. "I should probably go. MMA fighters are bad, I can only imagine was these kick boxers will be like."

Sanji nodded, swallowing and picking his sunglasses up off the floor. Zoro had no idea when the blond had even lost them. Placing them back on his head, Sanji pecked Zoro on the cheek. "Talk to you later then." With a small smile, Sanji pushed open the door, slipping past the Wado Ichimonji and exiting the trailer, disappearing out of sight.

Zoro followed, hands stuffed in his pockets as he entered the building once more. His mind was a blur of the last probably twenty minutes spent with the cook as he watched several people with cameras flit about, a couple more with clipboards and phones and one with a tray of what appeared to be coffee. He spotted Ivankov with who Zoro could only assume was one of the kick boxers talking in a corner. Perona was under the lights, hands on her hips as she waved a finger in the face of some poor lighting guy as he nodded his head blankly at her.

Franky had vanished again, which was no real surprise, seeing as he had like a million things to do here during the day. Ace and Luffy seemed to be gone as well and he glanced at his phone to see if he had any missed messages. Which he didn't. Not that it mattered. Dinner was at seven at the brothers' house with tons of Chinese from that shitty place they all ate at. A hand on his shoulder caused him to jump and he turned to meet the dark make-up lined eyes of Ace's creepy doctor. The man frowned at him as he removed his hand. "Have you spoken to Ace-ya today?"

"Well hi Law, nice to see you too. And yes, but no, not about anything important. We are getting together tonight. Why?"

"I just didn't know if he told you the results of his latest testing. I will leave it to him, ya. I am here for different reasons anyways. There is someone here I need to do a physical on. Miss Nico-ya should be meeting me here any moment." Law's voice was the calm and cool drone it always was, but he still creeped Zoro out a bit.

"You mean Nico Robin? The manager? So does that mean that the rookie will actually show today? He, they, were supposed to be here the other day and backed out."

"Indeed." As if on que, Robin walked up to them, heels clicking quietly on the cement flooring. "He should already be here actually. Have you seen him yet Zoro?" She raised an eyebrow at the racer before turning to the doctor. "Trafalgar Law I must assume. So nice to meet you finally. I am sorry we haven't been able to meet before hand."

Law took Robin's hand, blinking his gray eyes at her calmly. "Hm, well, where is he?"

"I'm afraid with him being late now that we will not be able to do his physical till after wards, if that is alright? I would hate to have to keep Mister Roronoa and the rest of the crew of the Sunny here later than need be." Zoro didn't miss the implying tone to the woman's voice. The last time she was here, her and Franky had spent a good hour talking.

"Ya, as long as he gets it done before the first matches next week, whenever is fine." Law nodded, adjusting his weird leopard hat and nodding. "Rules state I can't let him fight with out a physical, ya."

Robin simply laughed with a smile and a tilt of her head. The small conversation seemingly over, Zoro turned his attention back towards Ivankov as he watched the man's face light up and he clapped his hands together after shoving his camera off to one of his assistants. "Candy-boy!"

Oh no. Zoro visibly cringed, but was dumbstruck as the photographer flew past him to some one behind the three. Turning Zoro couldn't help but laugh as watched the guy attack the new comer and almost tackle him to the floor. "Ah, there he is." Robin said quietly and Law grunted with a nod.

"Oh shit! Get off!" Zoro stopped mid laugh. He knew that voice. In fact he had just had that voice making all sorts of different sounds in the front of Franky's trailer. He paled, jaw going slack as he watched Ivankov stumble back a couple paces to reveal a very flustered blond. "Dammit Ivan! Don't hug me!"

"Sanji?!" Zoro found his voice as the photographer whipped around, eyes going bright as he saw him now. "What the fuck?" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sanji...was a kick boxer?!

Sanji simply shrugged, adjusting the shorts he was now wearing back into place. He flicked a hand through his hair and walked over to the small group, bare feet not making a single sound on the cement. "Miss Robin."

"Seems like you two know each other," Robin smiled again. Her creepy little know it all smile. "That makes introductions that much easier. Law, this is my client, Sanji." She gestured to the blond as Zoro crossed his arms and stared across the small space to him. Sanji simply grinned. "Law is the doctor here and when we are done, we will need to complete your physical."

"Okay," The cook nodded, noticing the confused look on Zoro's face finally. "I wanted to surprise you moss head."

"You're the rookie!" Zoro's voice shot up as his hands went to his hair. "I asked you last night what you did and you didn't tell me?!"

"That's the point of a surprise you moron, or did you not know that?!" Sanji snapped back. Robin breathed an 'oh my' and stepped back, while Law seemed to pale as his head snapped back and forth between the two.

"I fucking know that! But it didn't occur to you that I might want to know this?!" Flinging an arm at the cook, he then threw it in the air before dropping it to his side. He opened his mouth to speak again, but noting came out. He just stood there gawking at Sanji. Finally he groaned. "Oh, this is so fucked up."

"What's fucked up about it moss for brains? I couldn't let word get out. That's part of the whole plan!" The bartender crossed his arms over his bare chest and Zoro's mind unwillingly jolted straight to sex. He couldn't help it. Fucking blond was cut in a natural way, not the same way that he or Ace was. In fact, Zoro was pretty sure Sanji didn't even know what a weight set was.

"Oh, this is good. This is great! Candies! Where is my camera! I need to capture this! These two are perfect!" Both men snapped their attention to the photographer as a camera was placed in his hand. "Please continue!" With a little wave, Ivankov ducked behind his camera.

"Ugh!" Throwing his hands up in the air again, Zoro turned and stomped off. What the fuck was going on around here? He should have known something was up with the way the blond's leg muscles were. He had said that he got a job offer that he couldn't turn down, but never would Zoro had imagined it was because he was the missing rookie kick boxer!

Habit caused him to find himself resting on the seat of his sister's bike, arms crossed scowling at the floor as he thought. Once again it seemed he had managed to get involved with someone famous. All this was going to do was lead to more break ups. Once Sanji found out how he got that scar, he bet the bastard would run. Kick boxers and sports reporters didn't understand the risk each time he climbed on that bike.

Ace did though. He knew what it was like to be in a relationship with hardship baring down at every turn. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he paused. Fuck he had only known Sanji a week or so, maybe he should just call it quits before he got too involved. His body shuddered at that thought, protesting in its own way. With a growl he lit up his phone, thumb flicking to his contacts list.

"Can we talk?"

The voice of the cook caused Zoro to snap his head up, eyebrows lowering as he curled his lip in a snarl, baring his teeth at the blond. Sanji simply blinked at him, before walking the few strides to where Zoro sat. "What do you want?"

"I thought you would be excited to know that it was me. We will be working together for the next couple weeks. Ivan is already planning a shoot for just us." Despite being pissed off, Zoro couldn't help but notice the way the dimmed light inside the trailer sharpened all the angles of Sanji's chest.

"Oh yay." Zoro rolled his eyes at that. "You don't get it."

"Then tell me." Sanji sighed. "This isn't even about me is it?"

Zoro remained silent, as did the bartender. The two stood in a tense silence for what Zoro thought was forever before he sighed. "I was just hoping you were different. I really didn't want to do the whole date famous people thing again."

"I'm not famous." Sanji snorted.

"Sanji, everyone knows who you are and no one even knows your name, okay? Famous. Yeah, I get I am too, but I hate it. I can't go anywhere without people yelling my name. Hell your dad did it to me last night, but you, you're different. You give me shit about it, but you play it off as a joke. It's like it doesn't mean anything to you."

"It doesn't." Sanji spoke calmly, keeping emotion from his voice. "Who cares what you do? I'm not after you for the fame anyways." Waving a hand, he stepped up to the bike, placing a hand on Zoro's leg. "I think this photo opt could be fun."

"What about the fact that I race?" Zoro asked quietly. This was the point he was getting at. As soon as Kiri had discovered he had been hurt, he left. And look how that turned out.

"I think I am starting to get the picture here. That shit head broke up with you after you accident a couple weeks ago huh? The time line fits. I would never do that Zoro." Sanji gave Zoro a small smile. "Besides it would be too much fun to harp on you while in the hospital."

"You're a real asshole you know that?" The racer chuckled, leaning up for a kiss, which Sanji happily obliged him with. "Thanks. I guess I'm just worried."

"You have all the right to be, but I am telling you, don't be." Pulling Zoro off the bike, Sanji flicked him in the forehead. "Now stop sulking moss head and come back inside. You can not leave me alone with Ivankov!"

"Man's crazy huh?"

"Oh, you have no idea." Sanji pushed Zoro by the shoulders out of the trailer. "He's friends with my dad. He's at the restaurant all the time. It's a nightmare."

"You can always come to my place." He gave the blond a grin, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head slightly, which caused the bartender to roll his eyes.

"I think we should all you the ero-cook."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Ivankov decided that Wednesday around lunch he wanted Sanji, Zoro and the Wado Ichimonji back at Water Seven for the photo opt with just the two of them. Zoro had opened his mouth to protest, but the crazy man held up a hand stopping him, pressing a manicured nail to Zoro's lips and making the blond kick boxer laugh hysterically as the racer went cross-eyed looking at the nail. "Oh no Candy-boy. We are using that bike. It is very precious to you and I think that you will subconsciously be more aggressive for the shoot if you think anyone will come near it. That's what I want. I want to see the aggression and rage between to rival sports! You two are perfect being two major figure heads this year!"

They argued, but in the end the nutty man had won.

The racer had called Usopp to get that picture of him and Sanji off Perona's phone, but his friend had only snorted saying that he couldn't do it. When Zoro snapped a 'why not' at him, the mechanic slash artist replied simply: "You're phone is the only one hooked up to Caime." That had pissed him off to no end. Who the hell knew what that pink haired girl would do with blackmail like _that_ on him. And what if she showed it to Nami?! That thought alone made Zoro want to go play in traffic. Nami was always looking for ways to get under Zoro's skin and snap his last nerve.

Dinner went well as Zoro filled a practically drooling Ace in with most of the details of the date. He mentioned the near sex happening in the trailer, whispered behind hands and he all but snorted soda through his nose. Luffy had burst out laughing as the whole thing, despite Ace starting a sneezing fit. Poor Chopper almost had a panic attack, half expecting the freckled man to pass out in his salad.

The good news was Law cleared the older brother to fight and he had his first match in just under two weeks as he slammed several tickets onto his kitchen counter for Zoro to pass out among friends. His, Perona's and Franky's were stuck under a magnet on the frig. Usopp had tucked his and Kaya's into his wallet and Nami had snatched hers from his fingers so fast, Zoro had to double check to make sure he still had fingers. He had a single one on his table in his room, holding on to it till he spoke to Sanji again, but he didn't know if the man would have a match that night or not. Zoro knew the MMA schedule, not the kick boxing one.

That in itself he was still attempting to wrap his head around. How the hell could Sanji be the rookie kick boxer? Didn't he say he worked at the Baratie with his dad and ran the catering business? Maybe it was just an off season thing like Zoro working at the Thousand Sunny. He would have to ask the dumb ass cook the next time he saw him.

Tuesday evening was uneventful, although Zoro caught a glimpse of that guy on the black bike again. This time he lost him on his way to the bar to get Luffy, but not before noticing the smiley face decal on the side of the gas tank. Zoro couldn't wait to find that guy some time when it couldn't be linked to the street races. He was gonna kick his ass. Dropping Luffy off, Zoro came home and all but collapsed onto his bed, barely awake long enough to tug off his boots.

Covers thrown over his head, Zoro grunted at the shift in weight on his bed. "It's early Perona, go 'way." There was an unidentifiable snort as Zoro tightened his grip on the fabric to keep it locked over his head. "And get out." When the weight didn't move, Zoro growled, sitting up and snarling. "Dammit Perona, I don't want to...cud...dle..." The last word half died on Zoro's lips as he was met with the blond and not his annoying race partner.

"Cuddle huh?" Sanji asked with a smirk, jerking one eyebrow up towards his hair line.

"How the hell did you get in here?!"

"Franky let me in. I made breakfast and we have been talking for the last hour waiting for you to get up. We have to get ready to go to the photo opt. I'm so excited!" With a grin, the cook jumped on the bed a little and laughed. He continued to babble on, something about Franky leaving to meet them at Water Seven at noon and how it was up to him to make sure Zoro got there.

Zoro grabbed at his phone. "You do know it's only eight thirty right?" When the cook simply nodded, Zoro continued. "And that we don't have to be there till noon right? I'm going back to bed." And with that he flopped back down, throwing the blankets over his head.

"Oh, come on Zoro." Sanji picked at the edge of the comforter before lifting it up. "Don't you want to get up and play with me? It's nice out today."

"Oh, I will play with you alright." Zoro muttered into his pillow. "Put that blanket down, it's cold out there."

"Fine." With a huff, Sanji dropped the edge of the blanket and turned on the bed, leaning back against Zoro's side. "You have fun with Luffy last night?"

"I didn't get in till almost four this morning cook." Zoro's voice came out muffled as he spoke into his pillow. "And apparently I forgot to lock my door too."

"Yeah, what the hell was that comment about anyways?" Sanji threw his arm out over Zoro's hip as he shuffled his shoulders a little and settled in against the other man.

"Like using me as a couch?" Zoro jerked his body away from the other man, but Sanji just fell with him as he did so. "I lock my door, if you must know, because for a while Perona would sneak in here at night and try to cuddle with me because it was 'cute.' It was mostly after I got home from the hospital. I got a lock."

"So, only been a couple of weeks? No wonder you forgot it. Takes a month before something becomes habit." Sanji looked over to the door, instantly spying the little silver lock that was bolted to the side of the frame.

"A couple weeks? Naw, more like a year. I mean the last time I was in the hospital. Not this time." Zoro rolled to his back, awkwardly dropping the bartender across his stomach as he pulled the blanket off his head and tucked it under one arm. "How is that comfortable?"

"It's not." With a grunt, Sanji sat up, shifting slightly to look at Zoro. "Is that when you got that scar?" He jerked his head towards Zoro's shoulder, where the top edge of the scar peeked over the comforter. The green haired man just nodded.

With a frown, Sanji leaned over, kissing Zoro on the cheek. "You still have to tell me about it sometime."

"I will." Zoro said quietly, laying his head back against his pillow and staring at the ceiling. Having the blond there when he woke up was new and different, but the fact that he once again brought up his scar wreaked havoc on Zoro's nerves. It was part of dealing with this shit though he supposed. Looking over to the other man as the bed shifted again, Sanji was standing as he kicked off his shoes. "What are you up to?"

"I might as well join you if you are not going to get up moss head." The cook turned kick boxer smirked, pulling the blankets aside and climbing into the bed with Zoro. He threw the item back over them both and gave a contented sigh as he snuggled down in against the racer.

"Oi!" Zoro jerked his feet away from Sanji as he tried to tangle them together. "What the fuck? Your feet are cold damn cook!" The blond simply chuckled. With a growl, the racer wrapped an arm around the cook's waist, pulling him flush against his bare chest. "You're entire body is cold Sanji." Zoro tried not to sound too concerned. Nuzzling his nose into the other man's hair, he spoke against the back of the blond's neck.

"Naw," the kick boxer let himself be pulled against the broad chest, closing his eyes. "You're just really warm."

"So," Zoro grinned into the soft hair, taking in the scent of cigarettes and something else that must have been shampoo as he slid one hand around the cook's hip and up under his shirt, hand grabbing hold of one of the muscled pectorals he found. "You wouldn't care if I did this?" Giving a light squeeze, Zoro moved his fingers till he brushed across the blond's nipple.

Sanji sucked in a sharp breath, stretching out against Zoro at the same time he leaned his whole body into the touch. He hummed an answer that sounded a lot like a 'no', turning his head and bringing one hand up so he could kiss his tormenter. The touch was light, lips just barely brushing against one another several times as Zoro lazily stroked at the hardening bud between his fingers. The cook's hand tangled in his short hair before he turned slightly deepening the kiss between them.

Teeth were dragged across the racer's lip, followed by the blond's tongue. Zoro opened his mouth willingly, meeting the muscle with his own, curling around it and inviting the cook into his mouth. He jerked his hips forwards against the blond's ass, who ground his hips into Zoro, dragging a moan from the green haired man's throat as his beginning hard on rubbed against his sleep pants and the blond.

Without warning, Sanji rolled over, coming to settle with his knees on either side of Zoro's hips. He ground his hips down as he did so, his own erection evident against Zoro's own. He broke the kiss, the hand still in the racer's hair jerking his head to the side as he nipped at his jaw and neck. Stretching out underneath the bartender, Zoro groaned, tilting his head and exposing his neck to the smaller man.

"Do you think we will get interrupted this time?" Sanji's voice was almost purring as his breath came out hot against Zoro's ear.

"L—Lock the door." The words came out broken as the cook took the earrings into his mouth, swirling his tongue around them. He was gone and back before Zoro knew what was going on, sitting back on his heels to remove the T-shirt he wore. "No dress shirt today?"

"Nope." Sanji answered as the shirt was dropped to the floor. Zoro shivered from the lack of the blankets, now pooled behind Sanji and over Zoro's legs. The lithe form crawled up him till the cook's hands were planted just above Zoro's shoulders and he watched, blood rushing about his body as the blond dipped down, kissing at the hollow of his collar bones. The cook's tongue flicked out, swirling once around the hollow before Sanji moved his head lower as he kissed towards his chest and scar.

The racer's hands moved to thin hips, thumbs hooking under the edge of the jeans, moving forwards till they met at the button of his pants. The heat from them both hung between their bodies and Zoro couldn't stop the small groan that escaped as he dropped his head back against the pillow. Sanji licked at his nipple, only paying the briefest of attention before moving on to the scar.

Zoro's cock twitched. He was fully hard now and having Sanji even lap once at the tender nerve endings caused his brain to recall the treatment from the few days before and just shut down for a moment. The other man's arousal slid against his own as the cook moved slightly, pausing to suck in a breath at the movement. Some how, Zoro wasn't really sure how, honestly, he found his fingers had undone the button and his left hand was under the blond's jeans, running finger tips up the pulsing length of the man straddling him.

Sanji shuddered in his lap, pausing in his movements and the racer could feel the wet heat of the cook's tongue pressed against his own heated flesh. Pale hips thrust forwards into Zoro's hand of their own accord as the cook moaned into tanned skin, sending a shiver to run up Zoro's spine. "Take these off." His voice sounded husky to his own ears as the green haired man's right hand pulled at the hem of the jeans.

The blond's hands left him and the small whine that started in the back of Zoro's throat turned into a full on whimper as Sanji stood up on the bed, his whole body one fluid graceful arc and shimmied out of the tight jeans. It was a god damned sin. And Zoro never used that word. There was no point in using such a word when he didn't believe in "God" anyways. This was the exception. Fuck this blond and his perfect body. With a toe, Sanji dropped the jeans to the floor, slowly and smoothly coming to kneel at his previous position. Flicking his eyes up to Zoro, he leaned back, catching the edge of the sleep pants he wore. "How about we take these off as well?"

Who the hell was he to argue that point? If this man wanted to undress him, Zoro sure as hell wasn't about to stop him. Hell, he even lifted his hips, his hard on springing free at the same time, causing a soft groan to come from the cook. His pants joined the cook's on the floor as the blond paused to run his eyes hungrily up Zoro's muscled form, before falling back to his eyes. "Take a picture cook, it lasts longer."

"Hmm? I just might." His tone was deep and almost smug. Sanji smirked, running a hand over defined abs and leaning forwards for a kiss. Zoro met him, mouths meeting with force as the two desperately tried to taste the other. The rapidly growing familiar taste of cigarettes and mint assaulted Zoro, saddened only by the fact there was no gum for him to steal away from the cook this time. A brief moment passed where he wondered what the blond thought he tasted like, but pushed it aside since it probably wasn't all that great right now. Morning breath and all, but Sanji made no comment to it, so the racer simply enjoyed fighting over dominance in their mouths.

The blond was panting, breaking the kiss and pulling back just enough to look into the half-lidded eyes of the man under him. With a smirk, a grind of his hips and a raised eyebrow, the cook leaned forwards, running the tip of his tongue over the racer's earrings, causing them to jingle lightly. "Let's see what you can do sober shitty racer. I want you to _fuck me._"

"You're gonna regret that!" Grabbing at the cook's shoulders, Zoro flipped them easily. The bartender landed roughly, bouncing slightly on the bed, watching silently as the broader man leaned sideways, once again retrieving the bottle of lube from his drawer. Placing it between his knees, Zoro ran his hands up the blond's sides, thumbing catching both erect nipples before sliding them to thin hips and dipping his head to lick at the head of the kick boxer's pulsing cock.

He heard the blond's breath catch in his throat and grinned to himself as he trailed one hand from his grip on the man's hip, down his thigh before moving to grab at the bottle. Once again, Zoro rubbed the slick droplets between his fingers, a habit he had picked up a few years previous, before coming to rest his fingers against the smaller man's entrance. Eyes flicking to a disheveled Sanji, who was nodding his head, Zoro took the cook's member into his mouth at the same time he pressed a finger inside.

The gasp that escaped the blond was music to his ears, hips not sure if they should be bucking up into the heat of Zoro's mouth or pushing down on his hand. Mouth and hands fell into a slow, yet steady rhythm and after a couple bobs of his head, Zoro pressed a second finger in with the first. Hands fisted into his hair, gripping tightly as Zoro looked sidelong at the strong muscles in the blond's thighs as Sanji fought with himself not to snap his legs shut.

Having a better idea of just how powerful those legs could be, Zoro was contemplating on whether he really wanted to push the other man's limits when he dipped his head, tongue pressed against the throbbing vein on the underside of the cook's member and his fingers brushed against the nerve bundle. The kick boxer's whole body twitched, knees jerking closer to Zoro's shoulders before catching themselves. Sanji swallowed, breath coming out in shallow pants as his hips thrust up against Zoro.

The racer released the blond, keeping his mouth close to the swollen head as he flicked his eyes up to the man's face as he pressed the final finger in, curling all three to rub against the cook's prostate. Sanji's jaw dropped open, the breathless gasp that escaped as he ground his hips down against Zoro's fingers was bliss. The racer could feel all the blood in his body beat at once, his own erection twitching at the view he was taking in. "...Fuck..." The single word that tumbled from swollen lips was barely above a whisper. It just made Zoro want to do just that as he spread his fingers, working them in and out of the blond as he shifted, leaning up for another kiss.

Sanji tilted his head, eyes closed tight as he felt Zoro's lips ghost over his own and hungrily attacked the other man, arms wrapping around his neck. A moan flooded his mouth before Sanji pulled back, cracking his eyes, his body jerking against Zoro. "...Please..." He said quietly and the racer couldn't help but think that the blond thought he had spoken whatever thought fully out loud.

"Okay." With a swallow and a nod, the green haired man removed his fingers, grabbing up his bottle and pouring some into his hand. The bartender whined in need, wiggling his body on the sheets at the same time Zoro whined from the sudden attention on his nearly forgotten length. The bottle dropped from his fingers and somewhere in the back of Zoro's mind he registered that it fell to the floor as he shifted thin hips towards his own.

Leaning forwards on his knees, right hand supporting his weight, Zoro hovered over Sanji, taking in the unkempt mess he had become. The blond hair was tossed across his pillows, revealing both eyes and the bizarrely curled eyebrows. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes just barely open, lids heavy with lust and want. One eyebrow moved slightly, both eyes opening. "Well; waiting for an invitation?"

"Pretty sure I already got it. Just appreciating the view I have is all." Zoro gave a smirk, lining himself against the blond with his hand. He pressed forwards, letting his hand fall away as he slipped into the tight ringed heat of the wriggling mass under him. Sanji thrust his hips at Zoro, breaking the slow fluid motion the racer was attempting to create as to not hurt the man anymore than he had too.

Like last time, the cook didn't seem to care about the bit of discomfort or pain, throwing his knees wide and bringing one leg up to pull Zoro against him faster. The racer was panting now, his fuzzy drunken haze forgetting what it had felt like to push inside the bartender. He was tight, his body flexing, clenching and relaxing around Zoro as he fully seated himself.

The kick boxer was a delicious picture of pure sex at this point, head tilted back, yet still able to see every move Zoro made with blown blue eyes. Fingers licked at his shoulders and down his back, as a muscled calf seemed to pull him deeper than he thought he could delve into the blond. The thought suddenly crossed Zoro's mind to never get on this guy's bad side. He was pretty sure Sanji could snap his neck with one of those legs if he really wanted to.

Time told Zoro to still a moment, to let the other man adjust to the difference between fingers and member, but Sanji didn't seem to care, slowly rocking his hips when Zoro refused to. Long fingers ghosted back up over his shoulder, running up his neck and Zoro tilted his head towards the touch just to hiss through clenched teeth as they gripped harshly into his hair, ripping his face downwards towards the cook's. Soft lips met his harshly as teeth clicked, pulling back just far enough to see eye to eye. "Fucking _move_ marimo or I will flip us over like last time!"

For a split second it crossed his mind, the show the blond had put on had been mind blowing, that was for sure, but didn't Sanji ask to see what he could do sober? It was his time to put on the show and he planned on it.

His hips met the cook's rocking into the lithe frame and working up a rhythm quickly. Hands went to pale hips, trying to control the pace the blond was attempting to set. This was his show dammit, who the hell did this shit head think he was? The blond's leg pulled against him, kept him close, his thrusts short but powerful. Perfect. The whole plan here was to get the cook to use that voice of his. Zoro's brain remembered him biting his lip, keeping quiet.

Once again they were home alone. There was no way Zoro was going to miss the chance this time. Reaching out a hand to wrap around the blond's length, completely thrilled about the lingering lubricant still on his fingers, Zoro changed the angle slightly, lifting Sanji's hips with his free hand and shouldering off the leg that had hiked itself up there. How in the hell, Zoro wasn't sure, but, _fuck_, it really didn't matter either. He worked the blonde's length, fingers wrapped loosely around the pulsing flesh, thumb brushing across the head and dipping into the slit.

Even with flushed cheeks, Sanji was tight and hot and willing and panting and small moans were escaping as his fingers danced lightly over the thumping heartbeat in the cook's cock...

"_Neg-a-ti-ve. Neg-a-ti-ve. Neg-a-ti-ve."_

The unwanted sound paused them both and Sanji burst out laughing as Zoro groaned, leaning over to his side table and grabbing at his phone, shutting off the annoying noise.

"What was _that_?!" His voice carried a laughter with it as he looked up to Zoro.

"My alarm. Perona changed it and I just forgot to change it back. It is nine-thirty." The racer threw his phone back on the table before shifting to his original position with a self important nod of his head.

"That's it? We have only managed to waste an hour?" The blond groaned, letting his head fall back against the sheets. "Ugh."

"I am literally balls deep in your ass and you're complaining it's _only _been an hour?" Zoro tilted his head to the side before ducking his head to lick a path up Sanji's chest. "Where were we?"

The cook dropped an arm over his eyes. "Doesn't matter now. Moment is ruined. Get off."

"Fuck you."

"We were till your alarm went off!" Sanji snapped at Zoro, throwing his arm against the bed. The green haired man chuckled, moving to pull away from the blonde before snapping his hips forward. The cook cried out, arcing his back off the bed as he did so. His thin shoulders dropped down, exposing his chest and neck as he did so and all Zoro could do was stare. The kick boxer's muscles moved seamlessly as his body moved almost against Sanji's will. Raising an eyebrow with a lecherous sneer, the racer repeated the action, once again causing the other man to arc off the bed, a moan escaping him this time.

"Stop...stop it...Zoro..." The way his name fell off into a moan caused Zoro to let a groan of his own out as he watched Sanji's head twist to the side, hands fisting into the sheets on either side of his head.

"Really want me to stop?" His words came out husky as he lowered his head towards the bartender's ear, grasping hold of his softening erection and running his thumb around the head. The blond's length instantly responded and Zoro swore he could feel it grow taunt in his hand. Sanji simply shook his head, biting at his lip and wrapping his legs around the racer's hips. Strong muscles tensed and shook against Zoro's sides as he slowly began moving again, rocking almost lazily into the man under him, his attention targeted on the drops of pre cum he was smearing about.

Sanji bit his lip, tipping his head into the pillow, the action raising his shoulders and displaying that long pale neck again. His foot slipped and dropped behind Zoro, breath coming out in ragged pants. "Stop that." Zoro leaned forwards, running the thumb on his free hand against the cook's lower lip. He kissed at the corner of his mouth, causing Sanji to turn his head just enough to catch the racer's eyes. "Why do you hold back?" Zoro's voice was calm and steady, despite the fact he was currently short circuiting the blond's brain with pleasure overloads.

"I..." It was the only thing Sanji could possibly get out. The green haired man simply chuckled, sitting back and picking up the cook's leg, throwing it up onto his shoulder as he snapped his hips forwards finally, _finally_, starting to pick up the pace again. The bartender couldn't think, was beyond words at this point, focusing solely on the heat pooling in his gut and how he could stop himself from cumming. Pleading within his own head to not end this too soon.

Zoro wasn't listening. Rough fingers trailed up the inside of his raised leg, making the muscles jump as the blond turned his head into the pillow to muffle any sounds that dared spill out of his mouth. The larger man was moving faster, the grip on Sanji's pulsing member tighter, attempting to get any sound he could from the rapidly growing mess of lustful bliss Sanji was falling into. "...Sanji..." The racer's voice came out in a growl, dropping off into a groan as the blond tightened around him.

Just the way his name sounded coming from that gruff husky voice was throwing the cook off the edge, the sound going right to his cock. He couldn't stop it any longer, his balls tightening, along with the rest of his body as all the heat that had been flowing through him shot to his groin, causing him to arc his back to his highest point yet as he let a loud moan escape him. The familiar warm and sticky mixture splashed across his stomach as Zoro's grip tightened even more, roughly stroking him till he was empty. He could feel his own cum against his throbbing erection from where the other man's hand had been in the way of his release, but the blond couldn't have been bothered by it as tanned hips still rocked into him.

It only took a couple more thrusts for Zoro to join Sanji, seeing the undone mess that was the bartender and feeling just how tightly his body had clamped down upon him causing Zoro to loose himself. With one last powerful jerk forward, the racer curled forwards, dropping his head against the flat stomach of the cook, not caring about the mess he dropped his hair into. He would need a shower after this anyways and rode out his orgasm, focusing on the way his own erection pulsed inside the willing body of the blond. Eyes closed tightly, the green haired man panted, not realizing he had even been holding his breath, tilting his head as fingers wove into his short hair.

His heart was beating rapidly against his ribs, a similar feeling against his cheek as he turned his head, dropping it onto the pale chest below him. Both men lay still for several moments, catching their breaths, enjoying the induced high of post sex before Sanij finally spoke. The words were breathless as he shifted slightly. "Can I have my cigarettes?"

Zoro hummed a response, slowly opening his eyes and picking up his head. "You can't smoke in here."

"You let me last time." He gave a small frown, fingers still combing through Zoro's hair.

"I did?"

"You were still pretty drunk and you passed out. Please don't do that this time." The cook's eyes pleaded with Zoro. Zoro simply shook his head.

"I need a shower. You can smoke in there. Just turn the fan on. That fair?" On shaky arms, Zoro sat up, pulling away from the blond, causing them both to suck in sharp breaths from the heightened sensations.

"Oh, I get to join you there too?" Sanji raised a curled eyebrow with a sneer. "Yeah, fair enough. I need a shower too. Come on moss head."

"Oi!" Zoro watched the blond slowly rose from the bed, grabbing his jeans and walking for the door. "This is my house remember!"

* * *

The car ride to Water Seven was quiet and peaceful. Or well, the part of it Zoro remembered anyways. He had quickly fallen asleep and was rudely woken by Sanji shaking his shoulder. The cook had parked out front and Zoro yawned as he got out of the car, stretching at he glared at the glass doors. Sanji pulled a final drag off his cigarette, shouldering a backpack, before dropping the butt and crushing it under his foot. His hand caught Zoro's pulling him towards the front door with a grin. "Come on. Despite the fact it's Ivankov with the camera, I'm looking forward to doing this with you moss head!"

"You said that already." Zoro watched as Sanji opened the door for a couple girls, bowing slightly and commenting on their amazing beauty as they walked past. The two girls giggled at the thin man, catching sight of him as well. One blushed and ducked her head, the other still laughing. Zoro cocked an eyebrow. Girls. He would never understand them.

Yubashiri was sitting in the glass case and even though it had been himself that had changed the bikes, Zoro did a double take when the white shine wasn't there. Sanji caught his hand again, ignoring the raised eyebrows from the receptionists behind the desks and turned down the long corridor towards the area that had been set aside for the photo opts.

Franky was entering the room from the other side, the Wado Ichimonji in his grip. Jerking his hand from Sanji, he bounded over to his friend, taking the bike. "Okay okay," Franky raised his hands in the air. "Jeez. I wasn't sure when you were going to get here. Keep your shirt on."

"Actually take it off." Ivankov appeared near the two, causing them to stop short. "I want to see your bodies! I want the light to cast their shadows in the curves of your muscles! Where is he? Curly-boy! Come here!"

With a groan, Sanji appeared, rolling his eyes. "Dammit, don't call me that!"

Ivankov grabbed Sanji by the cheeks, twisting his face into a horrified fishy face and shook his head slightly. "Oh, but Sanji-kun! You are so cute! And your body! Simply stunning! YEE-HAW!"

Eyes widening, cheeks flushing red as the cook stared past the photographer to a now smirking Zoro as the racer sat leaned back on his bike, he pulled his face from the crazy man. Hands snapped into fists as his side, but all Ivankov did was flutter his fake eye lashes at the blond in a grotesque attempt to be adorable. This did nothing but make Sanji shudder and he stomped off, claiming he needed to get changed for this venture. "Not excited anymore cook?!" Zoro called after him, chuckling when he got flipped off.

"Come on. Chop chop!" The photographer turned his attention back to Zoro, stalking up to him as he snapped his fingers. "Let's go. Loose the shirt. I will need to adjust the lighting."

"What?!" Zoro squawked. "You were serious?"

The crazy man looked the racer square in the eye, voice growing cold. "I was dead serious." A huge grin split his face and he motioned for one of his crew to bring a tall light closer. "Not strip Candy-boy! I want to see those pecs!"

What had he gotten himself into? Suddenly Zoro wanted nothing more than to go home. This guy was nuts! And fighting over his bike? He would rather not. He didn't want to ruin this link to his sister. The green haired man didn't even like having it here! The whole point was to bring it home and keep it _away_ from people. He glanced over to Franky, who shrugged. "Thank god Perona's not here." Mumbling under his breath, Zoro hiked up his shirt, balling it and tossing it towards his friend.

The collective gasp from the group of photographers made him roll his eyes. Oh yeah. That. Ivankov flitted close to him again, reaching out fingers with long fake nails, stopping just before touching Zoro's skin. "Oh, dear boy. I had heard about this, but never saw the damage."

"I tend to keep it quiet." Zoro crossed his arms as the hand was pulled back. He glared at the photographer, raising an eyebrow, daring him to say something else when pale skin caught the corner of his vision and Sanji slid in to stand next to him.

"Ivan, could you not make a big deal of this? I am quickly learning that is not a comfortable topic for the marimo here." A hand landed on his shoulder, warm against Zoro's skin and he turned his head to look as Sanji, before turning back to the purple haired man. Ivankov clapped his hands and turned, shouting loudly.

"Alright Candies! You heard Curly-boy! Let's get the lighting set so we can do this quickly!"

"Thanks," Zoro looked up to Sanji as the cook waved the hand that had been on his shoulder.

"Think nothing of it moss for brains. I know how he is. He's a little out there, but he's an okay guy. He is just really concerned for others sometimes." Crossing his arms, the bartender watched as several men and women ran about, moving lights closer to the two men. "Hey," Sanji looked back to Zoro, curling his now bare toes into the carpet like flooring. "You wanna do something tonight? Like catch a movie or something?"

"What date number does that count as?" The racer's eyes trailed up Sanji's bare chest, over his crossed arms and to the long pale neck before locking eyes with him. The kick boxer gave a snort, cracking a small smile. "Since we seem to be skipping around on your little date list."

"Two." Sanji replied coolly. "And this morning, would have been like seven."

"Oh serious. Started at five, went to first date, then to seven and now you want to go back to the second?" Zoro grinned up at the cook, who shook his head.

"You are such a moron." With a chuckle, Sanji leaned over, getting close to the racer's space. His one visible eye searched Zoro's face before coming to look into his eyes. "It's kinda hot."

"Oi! How is me being a moron—" Biting his lip, the green haired man stopped as he realized his voice was higher than it should have been and others were beginning to look at them. He watched as Ivankov was handed a camera and stepped towards them.

With a laugh, Sanji bounced on his toes, leaning back and easily dodging a half-hearted swing from Zoro and his place on the bike. "Well, come on," With his hands raised, the blond waved Zoro towards him, egging him on. "I kinda want to kick your mossy ass anyways."

Zoro jumped off the bike with a growl, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. "I spar with Ace ya know shit cook."

Sanji curled his lip in disgust, tilting his head back and forth quickly a few times to mock the racer. "That's nice. He's MMA. He's got nothing on my leg strength." He struck out, toes easily hooking around Zoro's ankle and pulled, flipping the man onto his back. Grinning, he leaned over him. "And you have nothing on me."

"I got plenty on you, you stuck up bastard." With a grunt, Zoro rolled to his knees, shifting his balance and lunging for the cook's waist. Tackling him to the floor, Zoro grabbed his wrists, straddling his hips and pinning him to the floor. "Just let me call Perona. Ya know, I kinda want to see that pic anyways." He leaned forwards over a struggling Sanji to whisper in his ear. "I'm pretty sure my hand's gotta hold of your dick in it."

The quiet thumps on the carpet as Sanji planted his feet didn't register till Zoro was on his back, coughing in an attempt to get air back into his lungs. The cook had taken the opportunity of Zoro's shifted weight to flip them over and Zoro could see the tensed muscle of Sanji's calf near his head. "You're a shitty boyfriend!" He hissed down at him, head snapping up as lights flashed. Ivankov was snapping pictures left and right, mumbling to himself as the two continued their little mock fight.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Zoro smirked. "_That's_ kinda hot." Sanji rolled his eyes as the racer used his own words against him. "Kinda like it down here. Gives me a good view up your shorts."

"WHAT?!" Jumping up, the bartender kicked at Zoro, who was laughing now. Rolling to his side, the green haired man coughed again before groaning and sitting up.

Leaning back on his hands and stretching his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles, he watched as Sanji walked up to him, feet coming to rest just on either side of Zoro's feet. Raising an eyebrow at him, the racer grinned wickedly. "What do you plan to do from up there when I am obviously down here?"

"Kick you in your mossy balls." Sanji spoke lowly, ignoring the photographer as he jumped about, getting shots from all angles, encouraging the glare Sanji had towards Zoro and the racer's cocky smirk at the kick boxer. Part of Zoro really wanted to see these pics. They had to be getting some good shots, but another part of him wanted to tackle that shit talking blond again and show him just who was going to kick who where.

"What movie do you want to go see cook?" Getting to his feet, Ivankov grabbed his arm, directing him to sit back on his bike.

Completely interrupting their conversation, the photographer then had Sanji stand a couple feet away and instructed him to "do the bouncy toe thing Curly-boy." With a roll of his eyes, the blond complied, arms loosely held at his sides as he lightly bounced back and forth on his toes. Laughing, Zoro called him an idiot. Sanji replied by kicking him in the side of the head, knocking him clean off the bike. Sprawled on his face, his head ringing, all Zoro could hear was Sanji's high pitched laugh. It was going to be a long afternoon, but totally worth it when this was all over. If only that shitty cook knew what this was doing to Zoro's sex drive.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Sunday morning started like every other Sunday morning started. Zoro woke to the smell of coffee and Franky in the kitchen. Pulling on a pair of sweat pants, the long strings swaying as he padded down the hall to the kitchen, Zoro yawned, scratching at his bare chest. A cup was placed in front of him as he slid into his spot at the table and he grumbled a "thanks" to his room mate.

"Usopp called just a bit ago. He and Kaya were going to stop to grab some breakfast somewhere then come over."

"Okay," Zoro said quietly, rubbing his face in his hands with a sigh. Closing his eyes behind his hands, the toughest decision Zoro wanted to make today was whether or not to put a shirt on. This was why he liked Sundays so much. Everyone came over, but no one really did anything. A quick knock on the door before it opened produced Perona and her stuffed bear. She gave a laugh, holding up a box with her free hand.

"I brought doughnuts!" Setting the box down on the table, she plopped into the empty seat next to Zoro, crossing her legs at the knees and dropping her make-uped face into her hand. "So," She said slowly. Zoro didn't miss the glint in her eyes though. He hadn't seen her all week and who the hell knew what kind of questions she had. "Tell me about him. He is sooo cute! I'm actually kinda jealous."

Picking up his coffee, Zoro purposely ignored her in an attempt to figure out exactly what he wanted to tell his team mate. She batted her mascara coated eyes and Zoro mentally smacked himself for even _knowing_ what the type of make-up was called before he set his cup down and took a breath. "You saw him the other day. He's a jerk."

"That's not fair!" Her whiny voice carried about the small room as her crossed leg hit the floor in a stomp. Franky sat at his spot, quietly grabbing at the provided food, ignoring the bickering going on around him. There really was no point in interfering unless they decided to get violent. Even then it was a maybe. "Don't make me put that picture up on line."

"Oh, gonna go there already?!" Zoro snapped back, smacking a hand on the table. "That wasn't fair! You didn't even knock!"

"Why should I? I'm allowed in that room."

"What room?" Franky asked, cheeks puffed with food.

"The front room of the trailer." Perona smirked as she turned her attention towards the mechanic. "I caught Zoro and his boyfriend attempting to have sex in there."

"You what?!" The larger man choked, turning his glare on the racer. "Bro, not super man."

"I wasn't _attempting_ to do anything Franky! I would have been had Perona not shown up!"

"Why would that even cross your mind?!"

Both racers turned to look at their crew chief. They each had raised eyebrows and screwed up faces that Franky could only describe as a facial attempt at "are you stupid?" He looked between them both for a second, jaw slack in confusion. "What?"

Perona's hand hit the back of Zoro's head with a loud smack, almost knocking his nose right into his coffee cup. "He's twenty years old! Why wouldn't sex cross his mind? He probably only thinks with his—"

"Perona!" Zoro snapped at her, cutting her off. Crossing his arms, he uncrossed them, grabbing at the box of doughnuts. "I will have you know _I_ didn't start it." Sticking his tongue out at his partner, cause he was mature like that, Zoro took a bite of his food.

"You didn't stop it." With a snicker, the pink haired girl produced her phone, practically shoving it in Zoro's face as she brought up the picture of him and Sanji. His first reaction was that it was pretty hot. Sanji was straddling him, shirt open, face hidden by his hair. He was leaned up, bare chest and stomach curled forwards, face hidden from view as he had no doubt been telling the cook just exactly what it was he wanted. The angle hid his scar pretty well and the picture itself wouldn't have bothered him too much had the fact that both he and the blond had been sporting raging hard ons not been quite as evident.

Grabbing at the phone, he caught Perona's wrist knocking the phone onto the table where Franky grabbed it. His face paled as he smacked a hand to his forehead. "Really Zoro?"

"What?!" This time it was his voice that had the slight whine to it. "You're telling me you wouldn't want to have sex with that?" He made a motion towards the bright pink phone, implying Sanji in the picture.

"I would!" The girl's squeaky tone spoke up. Her face swung towards Zoro then, her grin widening. "I would sleep with both of you!" Her finger struck out, tapping on the end of his nose. "You're so cute!"

"For crying out loud Perona!" The green haired man snapped, shoving a hand in her face and pushing her away from him. "Like I would _ever_ sleep with you."

With a groan and a roll of his eyes, Franky set the phone down, which Perona practically jumped on the table to retrieve before Zoro got it. There was a scramble as the two knocked the item around for a second, before she grabbed it. Coffee spilled all over the place and with a sigh, Franky grabbed the towel hanging off the oven handle, throwing it at Zoro."You two are ridiculous. Perona, don't use that to blackmail Zoro. That's just a bit too personal for you to put on the internet. What if someone did that to you?"

"You should delete that." Stuffing half a doughnut in his mouth, Zoro spoke around it, pointing at his counter part, bits of doughnut powder spewing from his mouth. His attention turned to his spilled coffee, wiping at the mess with the towel.

"No way!" She clutched the phone to her chest. "Just because Franky says I can't put it online doesn't mean I can't use it against you! You're birthday is coming up soon."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Maybe I will blow it up and give it to you for a present. Like poster size!" The phone vanished and then Perona spread her arms as if holding a poster out in front of her.

"You wouldn't." Narrowing his eyes at her, Zoro wiped some coffee off his cup and stood up. "Well I'm going downstairs to play video games. Kaya and Usopp will be here soon." Pouring more coffee as he spoke, the racer set the pot back where it belonged, grabbed a second doughnut and opened the door. "You coming?"

"What are we gonna play today?!" Jumping up, Perona picked a doughnut out of the box as well, following Zoro out of the door, teddy bear in her arm. "Oh oh, there's that ghost game."

"You mean the multi-player with the sword guy? Yeah, let's play that!"

The door closed as Franky sighed, shaking his head. "I don't understand those two." He spoke out loud to himself, pulling the box of food back over to himself, grabbing another doughnut and taking a sip of his coffee.

Tromping down the stairs, the side door opened to reveal Usopp with his backpack. Holding the door for Kaya, Perona squeaked and the two girls giggled, running for the couch. "Look what we found!" Usopp grinned as a very tired looking Sanji walked past the mechanic, giving a yawn.

"Morning." The blond said, raising a to go coffee cup in his hand.

"You sleep at all cook?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at him as Usopp slipped past, headed for the couch and the girls. Zoro could hear Perona messing with their gaming system as she chatted away with Kaya about some new dress or something. He gave up trying to understand what they talked about a while ago. All he knew was that it gave him the advantage during gaming sessions when Kaya would distract her and he could swoop in and kick her ass.

Sanji was shaking his head, sipping at his cup. "Late night. I haven't slept yet."

"So you came here?" The racer shoved the last part of his food into his mouth.

Sanji let go of the door, it closing with a soft click behind him. He took a step forwards, leaning his head against Zoro's shoulder. "I wanted to see what these infamous Sundays were all about. I just happened to meet...Usopp; was it? And Kaya at the door. They let me in."

Zoro chuckled, one hand coming to the blond's back, the other taking the cup from him. "Come on, we don't do much other than what you see. You can either go upstairs and take a nap in my bed or try to sleep on the couch."

The cook handed the cup over, dropping his hand and letting his weight be supported by the racer. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes against Zoro's shoulder. "Yeah, couch. I don't want to do stairs. Got a blanket?"

"I will go get one, you go sit down." Zoro waited till Sanji stood on his own, blinking a few times before he handed the coffee back to him and padded up the stairs. He could hear the blond's dress shoes click across the cement flooring as he pushed through the door. Franky was still sitting at the table and the blue haired man simply raised an eyebrow at him as Zoro set his coffee cup down. "Sanji's here!" Zoro spoke happily as he walked past. "He's gonna take a nap, so I'm grabbing him a blanket."

"Okay, what's one more to your Sunday parties."

"It's not a party Franky." Zoro was back, blanket crumpled in one arm, phone in the other. "We are just hanging out, ya know, doing stupid shit."

"You are a bunch of bums playing video games, that's what you are." Rolling his eyes, Franky got up. "Just keep quiet. I have work to do in the office today."

"Okay, okay," Zoro opened the door and made his way over to the lounge area. Perona was sitting on the back of the couch, her feet propping her up, a controller in her hand. A second one sat on the cushion next to her. Kaya was curled up next to Usopp, who was sitting on the corner seat, his sketch book out. Sanji sat on the other corner near the "L" of the couch and the empty seat. Moving the controller, Zoro sat down, handing over the blanket. Wordlessly, the bartender kicked off his shoes, set his coffee on the table and flopped over, throwing the blanket over his head. Shuffling forwards a little, he propped his head on Zoro's leg.

There was a click and Zoro's head snapped around to see Perona grinning at him as she turned her phone to show him the picture she had just taken. Okay, this one he was fine with. It was obviously the two of them, but all you could see was the back of Zoro's head, left hand holding onto his controller and a fluff of yellow hair under his black blanket resting on his right leg. "Can I put this one up please?" She asked, pulling the phone away from him.

"Yeah, I guess." The racer rolled his eyes, reaching his right arm out over the blond's shoulder and side, effectively using him as an arm rest. "Let's just play already." She gave a sharp little "yay!" messing with her phone for a second before putting it down on the back of the couch next to her hip. His own phone pinged near her feet, where it had slid down the cushion and he picked it up, setting it back in his lap. "You first this time?"

"Well duh!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Like it really matters, you're just gonna play the stupid guy with the swords."

"He's not stupid!" Zoro snapped, causing Usopp to snort back a laugh. The racer leaned forwards, looking around Kaya to his friend. "Wanna make something of it Usopp?"

"Nope," he shook his head gently, grinning at Zoro before turning back to his project. "I just find you two funny."

"I can't possibly see how someone could do that anyways," Perona spoke distractedly as she watched her character on the large TV. "Use three swords like that. I mean I get it's a game but still."

"Yes," Zoro replied calmly rolling his eyes. "Because your character makes a whole lotta sense as well. No one can control ghosts and fly Perona."

"That would be awesome." She nodded sharply, moving her own body towards Zoro as her character on screen did the same.

"Anyone notice Chopper?" Franky's voice rang out through the shop, the door opening. The game paused, everyone looked over the back of the couch to see the med student slip past the tattooed man, making his way over to the couch and small group. Perona, still sitting on the back of the couch, moved to sit crossed legged so the youngest of their group could sit in front of her. Following behind, Franky sighed and closed his office door behind him, hoping to block out the normally rowdy group of young adults. A term he used loosely. Ironically Chopper was probably the most mature of them and he was only fifteen.

"Sorry Chopper." Zoro ruffled his hair as the kid started shuffling through his backpack.

"It's fine. What's everyone up to?" With a grin, he sat back against the couch, a big heavy book in his hands. "I have an exam to study for."

"I can help." Kaya closed her book, setting it on the edge of the table.

"Oh, that would be great!" Chopper turned to the blonde woman, who smiled softly at him. "I know you are a year behind me, but this will be good practice for you!"

"Oi oi, Chopper," Usopp pointed a pencil at him. "Don't go dissing my wife there buddy."

"Oh, Usopp," Kaya put a hand on his arm. "I'm sure he wasn't."

"I'm just messing with him." The artist grinned, leaning over to kiss his wife on the cheek. "I actually agree with him. We all know I am of no help."

"Unless it's painting something. Perona!" Zoro smacked her leg, looking back at her. "That was low." She just laughed at him, sticking out her tongue again.

"Uh, Zoro," Chopper poked him in the leg with his pencil. "Who's that?"

"Oh," The racer grinned, looking down at the head in his lap. "He is out. Wonder what kept him up all night? That's Sanji."

"Like the boyfriend?" Chopper's big brown eyes grew wider if possible. "Oh Zoro." The teen flung himself at his friend, wrapping his arms around Zoro's neck. "That's great!"

"I win!" The pink haired racer jumped in her spot, patting Chopper's brown hair. "Thank you Chopper!"

Dropping his controller, Zoro tried prying his young friend from around his neck, jarring Sanji, who instantly sat up, blinking and looking around groggily. The two froze, the green haired man jerking the thin arms from around his neck. "Sorry Sanji." Slowly, the cook turned his head towards the voice. No one dared breath, not really sure what the new comer to the group was going to do. How he was going to react. With a grunt, he dropped back down, rolling over and curling in on himself, taking his head off Zoro and throwing the blanket over his head.

"That could have gone worse." Zoro said quietly.

"He always that docile?" Usopp scratched at his hair with a pencil.

"No." The racer snorted. "I was half expecting him to kick my ass. Or well try."

"Stop talking about me marimo or I will." Sanji grumbled under his blanket. He shifted again with a sigh through his nose. "You guys are loud."

Zoro went to open his mouth but his phone rang. Dropping his eyes to the lit up screen, he quickly grabbed it, sliding his thumb across the bottom. "Hey Luffy."

Everyone turned to look at Zoro as he pulled the phone away from his ear, the man on the other end of the phone's voice ringing loud and clear. _"ZORO IT'S OCTOBER FIRST! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?! PUT ME ON SPEAKER!"_

"Okay okay, hang on, Luffy." He looked at his phone for a second. "Uh, Usopp?"

"Let me see that." The dark haired man grabbed Zoro's phone, pressed a button on there, then grabbed his own phone, scrolling through some screens. Caime's blue lights flickered to life, a muffled "what the hell?!" coming from the office. "Go ahead Luffy."

"_Usopp?!"_ Luffy's voice boomed through the shop, causing the cook to sit straight up again, looking around wildly. _"Who else is there?"_

"Hi Luffy!" Chopper's excited voice cut in before he went back to his book.

"We all are." Zoro took his phone, setting it in his lap once more. "And yes, I know what October means. Time to plan the Halloween party."

"_Right."_ They could all practicality see the strawhat wearing man nod his head. _"Where are we going to do it this year? I'm pretty sure Ace won't let us use the gym again this year. Not after last year."_

"Party?" Sanji shuffled around, reaching for his coffee. "We throw parties at the Baratie." He gave a yawn as he spoke. "I'm not gonna get any sleep am I?"

"_Who's that?"_ The questioning tone came through the phone.

"That's Sanji." Perona spoke up, giggling as she did so.

"_What?! Sanji's there! Zoro, why didn't you tell me?! Hi Sanji! I'm Luffy!"_

"Uh, hi?" The blond looked over to Zoro who shrugged. "How are you?"

"_I hear you can cook! Can you cook for my party?! You need to cook lots of meat!"_

'Meat?' Sanji mouthed the word, eyes widening as he looked over to the racer. Zoro simply nodded. "Uh, yeah, sure." He said hesitantly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Luffy made a 'whoop' sound and you could hear his sandals hit what was most likely the kitchen tiles.

"_What are we dressing up as this year? Sanji, you too!"_ There was a moment of pause. _"Oh oh! Usopp! Make us costumes!"_

"I can't sew!" Usopp snapped, turning to Kaya who was laughing behind her hand next to him. "I draw Luffy. Draw."

"_Well...whatever. Hey Zoro, we still all doing dinner tonight?"_

"It is Sunday Luffy." The racer chuckled, raising an eyebrow as the sleepy cook perked up at the mention of food. "Do we want to order pizza this week?"

"Order?" Sanji's voice rang out over Luffy's solid answer of 'yes.' "You can't order out. Not with me here! I will cook. How many of us will there be?"

"Uh..." Zoro blinked, trying to think of how many people there actually were. They usually just ordered a couple pizzas and was done with it. They never really thought about a number before. Above him, Perona was counting off on her fingers.

"Nine!" She called excitedly, shifting on her perch.

"_Luffy!"_ The muffled call from Ace sounded in the phone. _"That was Gramps! He's coming home at—"_ There was a muffled thud like someone falling.

"_Ace!"_ The younger brother's voice rang out, slightly panicked. _"Shit! I gotta go guys."_ The phone clicked and the line when dead. The blue lights of Caime's system flickered off, leaving everyone looking between each other.

"Is...is Ace okay?" Sanji asked quietly, placing a hand on Zoro's arm.

"His medication is still not under control." Chopper tapped a finger on his chin. "I was talking to him about it Monday. I bet he just had an episode. Call Luffy back in a few minutes to find out would you please?"

"Yeah." Zoro nodded. "He has narcolepsy, brought on by a TBI." He continued, catching Sanji's confused look. "Law has been working with him for a few weeks now. He's on a new medication to help bring it under control."

"Oh." He nodded slowly as he seemed to fit pieces together. "I think I might try to go upstairs and sleep if that's okay moss head. Will you wake me up in time to get dinner ready? Figure out what you want to eat."

"Okay," Zoro grabbed his phone. "I will set the alarm. What time?"

"No later than three." Sanji stood up, wrapping the blanket around himself and stepping back into his shoes. Zoro set his alarm and gave a small nod, before chucking the phone onto the table.

"Hey, come here." The racer spun on the couch, leaning over the back of it as the cook went to walk away. Pausing, the bartender raised a curled eyebrow as the green haired man leaned up on his knees and out further over the back of the couch, fingers grasping the blanket and pulling. Taking the step back towards him, Sanji tilted his head, yawning again. "Sanji," Zoro's voice had a slight chuckle to it as he pulled the other man to him, leaning up for a quick kiss. "Have a good nap."

The blonde flushed red as everyone else gave a combined "aawww" , Perona and Kaya locking hands together and wordlessly turned for the stairs. Zoro flopped back into his seat, picking up his controller, smacking Perona in the leg. "Let's play." He paused as the bang from the apartment door sounded. "Awesome way to embarrass him guys. He's never going to want to hang out with us again."

* * *

Sanji was awake and back downstairs by one and everyone huddled around the table to discuss what the menu for dinner was going to be. Nami had shown up, completing the group of girls as the three left the couch area to go out front into the show room to gossip or do whatever it was they did. Zoro had grabbed Perona, threatening her into not showing Nami that photo. Of all the people.

Okay, who was he kidding. He was practically begging his pink haired counter part to not show the receptionist. Who the hell knew what she would do with that picture. She had simply laughed at him, promising not to show anyone else.

Luffy and Ace had arrived, along with Law, which was why the brothers were so late in getting there. Luffy had called the doctor, who had insisted on coming over and driving the two where they needed to go in case Ace slipped into another bout. The crazy Gothic like doctor raised an eyebrow at the scene before him. Luffy, Chopper and Usopp were standing on the cushions of the couch, the three singing some made up song and laughing hysterically. Reminded Law of a group of hyenas. Ace was perched on the edge of the seat next to them, elbows on his knees, leaned forwards, excitedly talking to Sanij about food. The cook was scribbling things onto a piece of paper, occasionally batting Zoro's hand away while the racer kept trying to steal the pencil the blond had from his perch behind Sanij. Arms wrapped loosely around the kick boxer's waist, head resting on his shoulder, Zoro pointed at the paper. "No, you are gonna need more steak than that. This is Luffy we are talking about."

"How much can he eat?" Sanji turned his head to look at Zoro, then over to Ace.

"Oh, a ton!" Ace nodded sharply, jarring an elbow into his brother as the younger man fell over on to him. "Luffy! Stop." Flailing about, Luffy laughed and jumped up, tackling Usopp onto the floor where Chopper jumped on them both and they began wrestling around.

Law just stood there, slack jawed watching the entire thing. What in the hell had he gotten himself into? And to make it worse, Sanji was here and apparently dating Zoro if the way the two were sitting was any indication. And he had made those comments to the racer about STDs before hand just to spite him. The loud smack of Law's hand hitting his forehead caused everyone to turn to him. He looked about frantically for a moment before crossing his arms and huffing out an exasperated breath. "I didn't sign up for this." He muttered.

"Come sit Law," Ace was grinning at him. "It wont kill you to do something besides mope all the time. I'm fine now. Really."

"Yeah, Doc." Zoro said, thumping a hand down on the open seat next to him and away from the chaos that was rolling around on the floor. "Come sit over here. I won't bite."

"Yeah right." Sanji muttered scribbling something else down on the paper.

"Well you I will." The racer turned back, nipping at the cook's neck, who pulled away with a hand to his face and a whiny "stop."

Law walked around the couch, sitting down, leery of everything going on around him. He cast a shared look to the cook, who simply shrugged and stood up. "Well, that outta do it then. I'm gonna head to the store. You coming moss head?"

"You bet!" Zoro jumped over the back of the couch, headed for the apartment stairs. "Let me grab a shirt and my boots." Clomping back down a minute later, he poked his head in the office, where Franky was still doing his paperwork. "Can I have money?"

"Don't you have your own money?" Franky raised an eyebrow at him, knocking his glasses into his eyes.

"Well yeah, but we are all pitching in for food. Sanji's gonna cook us all dinner."

With a sigh, and pushing his glasses back to his forehead, Franky opened the top drawer of his desk, fished out his wallet and handed Zoro a couple bills which he stuffed in his pocket. "Now get out. I'm almost done. He cooking here?"

"Yeah, we are headed to the store right now. Ace is here with Law, so no need to watch the kids." Zoro chuckled.

"Law?" The mechanic closed the drawer, picking his pen back up. "Oh, you mean Ace's doctor guy?"

With a vigorous nod, the racer grinned, then disappeared, closing the office door behind him. With a sigh, Franky looked out his office window to see Chopper stand up and pounce on most likely either Luffy or Usopp, disappearing from view. Ace was leaned back on the couch now, video game controller in his hand. The business owner could only assume the leopard printed hat huddled in the corner of the couch closest to him was this Law guy. Most people had no idea how to handle the rowdy group on their first meeting. He heard the dull rumble of what must have been Sanji's car leave the parking lot. With a snort, the blue haired man went back to his paper work. "Good luck out there Law, you're gonna need it."

Law was still alive when Sanji and Zoro got back, the two bickering while each hauling several bags of food up the stairs to the apartment. Zoro kicked the door shut behind him, dropping the bags on the table. "No way that is possible!"

"Yes," Sanji shot back, digging through one of the bags. He paused, looking up to Zoro. "You have the lettuce in your bags? I can't find it and it needs to be washed."

"Maybe." Zoro rummaged through the bags he had, producing a couple heads of lettuce that he tossed to the blond. "Anyways, I will get you on a bike."

"In your dreams." The cook snorted, turning on the water and placing the items in the sink. "Did you get all the vegetables?"

"I think." The racer stuck his head into a paper bag, followed by his arm pulling a bunch of tomatoes out then grabbing cucumbers with the other. "They all need to be washed?"

"Yeah." Sanji nodded, pulling several steaks from the bag on the counter. "You said you had a grill?"

"Down stairs. I can have Ace pull it out." Opening the door, Zoro leaned out. "Hey Ace, get the grill will you?" The other man gave a thumbs up from the couch before pausing the game and getting up. He closed the door again as he saw Law stand up to follow, Luffy jumping at Ace's controller. "Done."

"My car is way better than your bike moss head." Sanji was scrubbing at his hands in the open side of the sink. "Come wash your hands."

"Yes mother." Rolling his eyes, the green haired man complied, hip checking Sanji away from the sink. "I can go places with my bike your stupid car can't. It's nice and all, but I bet my bikes are faster."

"No way they are." The blond rolled his eyes. "My Lamborghini can go from zero to sixty in under three seconds."

"Big deal. Kitestu can do it in just under two." Zoro snorted, turning his attention from washing his hands to washing the vegetables in the other side of the sink. He grabbed a towel from the cabinet and laid it on the counter to place the clean food items on.

"Kitetsu isn't going anywhere dumb ass. It's a pile of scrap on your floor." Folding the bag, the cook tossed it on the table.

"Oi! That's not nice!" Zoro snapped. Sanji raised an eyebrow as he watched Zoro's shoulders hunch forwards slightly as the larger man mumbled, almost under his breath: "I'm waiting for the parts to come in."

The cook paused, hands half way to unwrapping a package of meat. He gave a small frown before taking a deep breath. "What about the Wado Ichimonji?"

"Same speed." Zoro shrugged, busying himself with his task laid out to him before they had even gotten home. The blond informing him that he was going to wash the vegetables for the salad while he prepared the steaks for cooking. "They are both from the same class of light weight high speed racing bikes. Ku—my sister's bike was first. The two of us built it. I built the Kitetsu so I could race with her, but I only got one chance."

The kick boxer watched as his now moping marimo shrugged again, attention going to the water in the sink. "Is...is that when she was killed?" He asked the question quietly, already guessing he knew the answer.

"I don't want to talk about it Sanji." Zoro's voice was hard, his mouth set in a thin line as he pulled another towel from the cabinet to dry his hands. Leaning over, he pulled a cutting board from a cabinet on the floor and opened a drawer to get a knife. Sanji watched quietly as the man set about gathering the things he had asked for previously, including two bowls. One for salad and one for scraps, like tomato stems and cucumber ends. A hand went to reach for the back of his neck, but Zoro stopped, catching himself before he did so. Instead the hand dropped to his side and he sighed, looking towards the floor. "Her name is..._was_ Kuina."

"Your sister?" The blond asked quietly. Suddenly he really wanted a cigarette, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get one up here and there was no way he was going to leave when Zoro was going to possibly talk about his sister. He would just have to suffer. Sanji bit his lip as the larger man nodded weakly., fishing around in his pants pocket for him gum.

"Female racers are not all that common. Her and Perona included makes like seven of them. In fact we had listed some things under my name in the beginning just to make sure she got in." He smiled at that, a lopsided grin as he started cutting up the first head of lettuce. "Everything was white; the bike, her suit and helmet and she was just a blur down the track. Watching her race was amazing. She raced better than I could ever hope to."

"I learned to race on the Yubashiri. The one at Water Seven and was doing some street racing at night when I wasn't working on the bikes, but then we finished the Kitetsu! Those two bikes standing next to each other was perfection. My racing jumper was black then," Zoro motioned to himself with the knife and for a split second Sanji thought he was going to slice into his own chest. He bit down on his gum, expecting the action.

Zoro's gruff exterior simply melted away when he spoke of his sister. The lines in his face seemed to relax and Sanji was pretty sure this was the most he had heard him speak since he met him. Already the level of trust Zoro had for him to share this type of emotion baring story...Sanji wasn't sure he deserved that this soon.

The man was still talking though and the cook tried to busy himself with working on the steaks, but all he really wanted to do was kiss him. Murmur into his ear that it would be okay. Sanji shook his head in an attempt to get the thought from his mind. He wanted to hear this so Zoro wouldn't have to repeat it again. He could always make up for it later.

"Our first race together was right before Perona got signed on. I was never supposed to be on the team full time. I was just filling in till she came along. Franky wanted a full girl team and it was a brilliant idea." He looked over to Sanji then, small grin on his face. "It really was a great race! The two of us were out in front for most of it, almost lapping some of the stragglers near the back of the pack."

"Did you win?" He didn't know why he asked and regretted it as soon as he heard Zoro's answer. The tone of his voice dropped and the word came out harsh.

"No." The knife came down sharply into the leafy greens and the racer set the knife down, propping himself on the counter with his arms. "I...I don't remember it. I have only seen the video of it once. And I couldn't even watch the whole thing. One of the last guys took a corner wrong, brought his bike to its side. Kuina was right on top of him. There was nothing she could do to stop in time. Her bike hit the wreckage head on. I was right behind her." The racer's head was bent forwards, tilted slightly away from Sanji. Dropping the package he was holding, he slipped in close to the other man, dropping his head on Zoro's shoulder.

He could feel his whole body shaking slightly, tense as the cook was sure Zoro was replaying that video in his head, along with the array of emotions and memories it brought with it. The green haired man didn't lean in towards Sanji, but he didn't pull away either. Simply stayed still as one thin arm came around his waist.

"The first time I remember waking up was almost a month later. Luffy was there. He looked tired, eyes sunk into his face, the normal shine gone from them. He didn't say anything to me. Just got up and left. I was so confused. I couldn't do anything. I had I.V.s in my arms. I had a fucking feeding tube down my throat! Ever have one of them? They are fun to take out." He shuddered at that, but continued on. "I came and went into consciousness for a couple more days, I guess. I don't really remember. Franky and Usopp were there when they finally took that fucking thing out of me and I didn't even recognize my own voice."

Zoro swallowed, grip tightening on the counter top. Sanji could hear it creek under his hands. "He put his hands on my shoulders, baring down so I couldn't get up, Franky did. I didn't know why at that point. He said, he said to me: 'Listen Zoro. You got hurt really bad. You can't move when I tell you this. Do you hear me? Do you remember the race?' I nodded at him. I can remember my throat being dry and sore and he continued on. 'It's been a month since the race. There are several things you need to know. First, your chest.'" Zoro pulled away from Sanji at this point, pulling his shirt off.

"This. This is what I took from that fucking race." His fingers gently touched the scar across his chest. "Some scrapped piece of metal pretty much gutted me like a fish. Most people have no idea how the hell I even lived through it. I have talked to Chopper about it a few times. He says it's damn near impossible to live through what I did." His eyes snapped to Sanji's, frown etched across his lips. "Fucking Law about got off last week when he saw it." He snapped a hand towards the garage bay below them.

"She...your sister. She was killed in that race wasn't she?" Sanji's voice was quieter than he meant it to be. Zoro clicked his tongue and looked away again.

"Last thing I said to her was 'I'm gonna kick your ass today.' And I didn't even find out till a month after. I never got to say good bye." His voice was quiet and Sanji was pretty sure on the verge of cracking. He didn't know what Zoro's emotional limits were but he had a pretty good idea this was one of them.

The slamming of the door startled both of them, ending the conversation. Sanji caught Zoro wipe his palm across his face, putting on a grin as Luffy and Chopper bonded into the kitchen. "Got anything to drink? I'm starving! When's dinner? Is that salad? Oh man, where's the meat?! Zoro!"

"Yes, Luffy." With a chuckle, Zoro walked to the frig and opened it, pulling out a large bottle of cola and several disposable cups from the top of the frig. "You guys need to share this. Your brother have the grill out?"

"Yup!" Luffy nodded sharply and the two vanished again.

Sanji didn't press the conversation as he went back to opening the steaks and Zoro went back to cutting up the items for the salad. The two worked in a composed silence until Sanji was ready to start cooking the meat.

With a nod, Zoro picked up one of the two plates of steaks and had Sanji follow him out to where Ace and Law were standing behind the building with the grill. Part of him left a little better at the chance to finally tell someone about his sister that hadn't known her or him before hand. Most of the time he talked to Ace, Luffy or Chopper about it. That was if he talked about it at all. Sanji had forced the conversation and once he had started talking, Zoro really couldn't stop himself from continuing. Maybe telling his new boyfriend that he had only really known for a couple weeks something that personal wasn't the smartest thing to do, but Zoro did have to admit to himself he did feel a little better.

Law's eyes widened at the pile of steaks that arrived, but remained silent. Sanji took over at the front of the grill, shooing Ace aside as he did so. "I gotta talk to Luffy. I will be back." Zoro set his tray down on the edge of Franky's crazy large grill and stepped back.

"Oi! Bring me a beer would you?" Ace called after him.

Turning back towards them, Zoro shrugged, hands coming up in the air. "Sorry, still under age remember? Franky doesn't keep it in the house. Why do you think I go to your place all the time to get drunk?"

Ace cursed under his breath, then turned to Law. "Lets go Doc. We have a beer run to make." Grabbing Law by the back of the collar, he dragged him away towards his Jeep.

"I can't condone you giving alcohol to minors Ace-ya." Breaking free, he opened the driver's side door and got in.

"Psst. I'm not." Ace opened the passenger side and climbed in. "I am just gonna buy more than I can drink and if some happens to go missing than I will never know, right Zoro?" With a grin and a thumbs up, Zoro turned into the building. "You want anything Sanji?"

Zoro heard the blond reply with a relaxed 'naw' before making his way over to the couch. "Hey Luffy, can we talk a minute?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Luffy tipped his head back, looking up at his friend from the back of the couch.

"Alone?"

The look on the younger brother's face hardened as he handed his controller off to Chopper and stood up, walking around the couch. The two men were quiet as they made their way back upstairs into the apartment. Shutting the door behind him, Luffy tilted his hat back and crossed his arms. "What's up Zoro?"

"You know of anyone with a smiley face decal on a motorcycle? I caught it on what I am pretty sure was the same bike that followed me home last week, this week."

His friend's face grew very dark as Luffy was quiet a moment as he thought. "Bellamy." He nodded sharply. "He works for that Mingo guy. He's a drug dealer. And he was at the club on Thursday."

"You mean like MMA Bellamy. The one your brother gets to fight in a few weeks?"

"Yup. Same guy. He saw me Thursday. I get to fight him soon too. I can't wait to kick his ass." A large grin crossed the younger man's face as his fist smacked into an open palm. "He made some pretty mean comments about Ace, but Shanks was there to stop me."

"Why would he be following me?" Zoro scratched at his neck.

"Maybe because you are friends with me? Maybe because you have a big name? Do you know what it could do to you if someone found out you were racing illegally?"

"Does he know what it could do to him if someone found out he fought underground and was dealing drugs?" Zoro shot back, but Luffy simply shrugged. Crossing his arms, Zoro growled under his breath. "I'm gonna kick his ass when I see him next."

"Oo oo! Me too. Make sure I am there Zoro!" The happy tone was back in Luffy's voice and sometimes Zoro wondered if his friend didn't have split personalities with how fast he flip flopped from being a goof to all serious and bad ass. "We should see him Tuesday."

"Good." Zoro nodded and opened the door heading back down to the others. He paused though, turning back. "We should get the paper plates and what not. Bring the salad and some dressings down."

"Should we set up the big table in the open bay since there are so many of us today?"

"Yeah, good idea Luffy." Zoro opened the frig pulling out a couple bottle of dressing. "Let's get that done while cook finishes the steaks."

Luffy laughed as he grabbed the large bowl of salad. His happy 'shishishi' laugh. "I think it's funny you call Sanji 'cook.' He's a good guy Zoro, I can feel it. You should keep him around for a while."

Closing the door to the frig and opening the cabinet door to pull out the basket full of paper plates, cutlery and cups, the racer put the salad dressing in there and picked it up. Once again he opened the door, holding it for his friend. "I planned on it Luffy. Tell me about this party idea you have."

"Not till we all eat!"

Rolling his eyes, Zoro laughed. The two worked on setting up the large table for everyone to eat at. Zoro opened the bay door, scaring the hell out of Sanji as the gears clunked to life, lifting the heavy door. Eventually Law and Ace came back and much to his horror most of the people there all ended up with drinks in hand. He was so going to loose his license if some one came around to see this!

With a flourish, Sanji set several plates of steak across the table before taking a seat next to Zoro. Everyone dug in instantly and chaos began. Both Law and Sanji sat staring at each other for several moments at the commotion of the group and Sanji was horrified to see that even the ladies, all three, were just as aggressive about keeping food from Luffy as the guys were. Finally Zoro elbowed him, looking over to Law. "If you two don't get some food, Luffy will eat it all."

"There is no medical way that is possible-ya." Law spoke quietly as he watched Luffy stuff what appeared to be a whole steak into his mouth from the other end of the table.

"Law," Ace spoke around a mouthful of food. "You have seen my kid brother eat. Why are you dumbstruck at it still. Sanji! This is really good steak."

"Uh, thanks." Sanji shook his head, reaching out for the plate of steak closest to him.

"Luffy," Zoro looked down the table, swallowing a bite of food. "Tell me now! The party!"

"Oh right right." Luffy stood up in his chair, despite Franky grabbing at his shorts and trying to pull him back into his seat. Smacking the older man's hand away, Luffy held up his beer. "This year we should all dress up as characters from that video game we all play! Everyone pick your favorite and lets do it!"

"Luffy!" Nami slammed her hands onto the table. "Do you have any idea how much that will cost? And who's going to create them all?"

Luffy's shoulders dropped slightly at Nami's words and he mumbled at her as he sat back down. "I was hoping you, Kaya and Perona could do it. I can help! It won't be that hard! I can but the stuff you need to!"

"He's got a point." Chopper said. "Most of the characters in that game have simple attire. It shouldn't be that hard. I can dress up as Dr. Chopper too!" His brown eyes grew big and bright at the revelation he had.

"There ya go!" Zoro nodded as he took a sip from his beer. "I like it. This could be fun! Perona, you get your chance to control ghosts now!"

"Yes!" She clapped her hands together laughing. "I am going to make such a cute outfit!"

"Guess what else!" Ace slammed his hands down on the table. "I talked to Gramps this morning! He's going to be home in time for Halloween which means—"

"Shit!" Law snapped out of his chair as Ace fell forwards into his plate of food, snoring away. The doctor sat Ace up, the freckled man's head falling back as he gave another loud snore. "What the hell is so damn exciting to him that he can't even get it out-ya?!"

Luffy laughed, stopping abruptly as Law glared at him. Ace's body jerked back awake, a huge grin splitting his face once more. "Marco!" He said happily, practically jumping in his seat. "It means Marco will be home too!"


End file.
